The Nigerian Senate has blamed the Federal Ministry of Justice for failing to provide evidence on how the N10.4 billion judgment debts were disbursed among beneficiaries. The indictment of the ministry was based on the review of the 2017 and 2018 reports of the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC), led by Senator Mathew Uhroghide.
The Senate has ordered the immediate cessation of further disbursement of judgment debt by the ministry and demanded that the committee responsible for disbursing funds should be re-constituted. The required evidence should be forwarded to the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF) and SPAC within 30 days.
As per the Auditor-General’s report, the committee in charge of disbursing judgment funds was dissolved in 2013. The report further revealed that when the Ministry of Justice disbursed the N10.4 billion in 2017, the committee responsible for the disbursement had not yet been reconstituted. The Auditor-General warned that lack of control, as observed in the improper disbursement of the funds, could result in a loss of public funds.
In the Auditor-General’s report, the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice were advised to immediately constitute the committee as required by law. The report reflected that N10.46 billion was appropriated for payment of judgment debts for 2016 and 2017.
In another development, the Senate has ordered seven universities, including the University of Ilorin, University of Abuja, University of Uyo, and Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, amongst others, to refund N4.7 billion mismanaged by school management. The SPAC upheld the Auditor-General reports for 2016 and 2017, and the Senate approved the indictment, which will now be forwarded to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
The University of Abuja was accused of mismanaging N1.3 billion in 2017, the Federal University of Petroleum, N1.1 billion, the University of Ilorin, N745 million, FUTA, N467 million, Federal University, Wukari, N43 million, Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina, N141 million, and Federal University, Lafia, N32 million.
The Senate has agreed to sustain the indictment and proceed with further action.
