House Summons Okonjo-Iweala, AGF, Others Over N24bn Police Pension Fund

Source: thewillnigeria.com

BEVERLY HILLS, March 11, (THEWILL) - The House of Representatives Tuesday summoned the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr.

Jonah Otunla, Auditor General of the Federation, Mr.

Samuel Ukura, and the Director General, Budget Office, Dr.

Bright Okogu, to appear before it over alleged missing N24 billion Police Pension Fund.

Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Hon.

Adeola Solomon Olamilekan, issued the summons at Tuesday's investigative hearing with the Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD).

The summons became necessary following disclosure by the Director General of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD) Mrs.

Nellie Mayshak that there was no documentary evidence on whereabouts of the N24 billion released from Service Wide Vote in 2010 for Police Pension Fund.

Mayshak told the committee that the office expended the sum of N24 billion it received from the service wide vote account through the budget office.

She explained that the money was received and expended before her appointment, adding "we have no evidence, we have no record.

It just looked bad on our part.
We will rather tell you the truth or make it up".
Also corroborating the presentation of the DG, the internal auditor of the Pension Office, Mr.

Adeyemo Julius Adebolu, confirmed that it was true that the sum of N24 billion was received from the service wide vote for payment of pensioners in 2010.

He said when the money was released, he advised the office to lodge the money in a First Bank account but after the lodgement,, he was kept in the dark on further disbursement of the money to pensioners.

The auditor revealed that a consulting firm was contracted to disburse the pension fund, instead of the staff of the police pension office, noting that he had to come in when some of the pensioners after receiving their money complained of being short-changed by the consulting firm.

In his response, chairman of the committee, Hon.
Solomon Adeola Olamilekan said "I am taken aback, because what you are telling us is that, service wide vote is a slush account, it is an account that is used to settle the boys.

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SAINT MUGAGA, ABUJA