The Nigerian House of Representatives says it’s poised to uncover challenges dealing with the implementation of the Great Green Wall Programme.
The Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abass acknowledged this whereas declaring open an investigative listening to on the Utilization of Ecological Funds Released to the Great Green Wall, in Abuja.
He stated that “the House would expose corruption and identify challenges affecting the execution of the Great Green Wall (GGW) and also guide the new administration in the continued implementation of the policy.”
The Speaker additionally stated that the investigation was coming at a time of heightened public expectations, given the experiences with the administration of public funds by companies of presidency in current occasions, which was threatening the event of Nigeria.
Abbas famous that the significance of the Great Green Wall venture can’t be over-emphasised particularly given the safety drawback dealing with the nation within the final 20 years.
He stated, nevertheless, info emanating from the sphere doesn’t appear to replicate an optimum implementation of this noble programme regardless of the quite a few funds accessible for its implementation.
Worried by the event, the Speaker stated that ” the tenth Parliament deliberated on the problem and resolved to arrange an advert hoc committee to analyze corruption and establish challenges affecting its execution. The Committee will examine;
“All funds received from International organizations or Donor agencies from 2015 to date; All budgetary and other Federal allocations to the National Agency for the Great Green Wall from 2015 to date: the utilization of ecological funds released to the Great Green Wall by the international organizations; All contracts awarded to various contractors for the project from 2015 to date; and the total sum received through the policy and the level of compliance with the goals and objectives of the projects.”
The Speaker assured the stakeholders that the investigative listening to was not for persecution or score-settling, including that “the parliament is only exercising its mandate as provided for by the 1999 Constitution, as amended.”
The Ad hoc Committee Chairman, Isma’ila Dabo, stated lately, the nation has witnessed a big upsurge in pure environmental challenges corresponding to land degradation, deforestation, desertification, and drought.
He famous that initiatives such because the GGW underneath investigation had been designed primarily to deal with a few of these points.
Dabo stated that the persistence of those challenges regardless of funds put into the programme from each the Federal Government and worldwide companions has necessitated the investigation.
He pressured that the investigation was to offer truthful hearings to all events and for all points affecting the profitable implementation of the venture to be delivered to the desk.
“As a Committee, our assignment is to investigate and make appropriate
recommendations to the House for a resolution, and we will do just that.
This hearing is to provide fair hearings to all parties and for all issues affecting a successful implementation of the project to be brought to the table. After this hearing, we shall embark on, an on-the-spot assessment tour of all the projects executed under this scheme to ascertain the claims.
“The Ad-hoc committee is resolute in undertaking this assignment in the
interest of all Nigerians. We are not here to scandalize any individual or
organization but only to ensure that public funds are utilised for the purpose they are meant for. We will not shy away from pointing fingers where necessary, not out of personal animosity but simply in the national interest of our nation” Dabo stated.
He used the chance to precise the Committee’s displeasure with some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the Nigerian Government in addition to a number of state governments, saying “they have either not responded to our request to submit the necessary documents required, or deliberately delayed such documents to do so this week to help the Committee have a proper diagnosis of issues under context.”
The National Agency of the Great Green Wall was established by an Act of parliament in 2015 to implement the Nigerian element of the Great Green Wall program, which is an initiative of the African Union (AU) to deal with the issues of Land degradation, Desertification, Drought, Climate Change, and Livelihood of affected communities in eleven frontline states within the North East and North West areas sharing borderlines with some international locations together with however not restricted to Niger, Chad, and Cameroon to say however a couple of.
The Central Bank of Nigeria, Office of the Great Green Wall, and Ecological Fund Office appeared earlier than the committee to present an account of their actions within the Green Green Wall.
