Reps summon Finance, Agric ministers, OAGF to account for agric intervention funds

The Ministers of Finance, Agriculture and Food Security and the  Auditor-General of the Federation have been summoned  to account for expenditure of funds released for agricultural programmes between 2015 and 2025.

The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating Agricultural Subsidies, Intervention Funds, Aids and Grants Programmes, issued the summons at a public hearing in Abuja on Tuesday.

The committee resolved that the officials or their designated representatives, should appear before ion Feb.  3.

The lawmakers warned that failure to honour the invitation would attract legislative sanctions in line with the powers of the National Assembly.

In his ruling, the Chairman of the committee, Rep. Jamo Aminu (APC-Katsina) explained that the hearing was part of efforts to scrutinise public spending in the agricultural sector.

According to the lawmaker, the interventions were designed to boost food production, support farmers and strengthen national food security.

He said that the hearing became necessary given the concerns of food insecurity, rising food prices and questions surrounding the effectiveness of past intervention programmes.

The chairman frowned at the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to provide audit reports on several agricultural subsidy and intervention programmes within the period under review.

He said that that committee expected comprehensive audit documentation to enable it track disbursements, utilisation and outcomes of the various schemes.

“We cannot effectively carry out this investigation without proper audit records. These funds span a decade and involve critical national programmes.

“Transparency of the process and accountability are non-negotiable,” he said.

Earlier, a Deputy Director from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adamu, blamed the failure to file proper reports on the agric ministry.

According to him, it was due to non-availability of key documents that should be supplied by the ministry.

The deputy director said that Auditor-General’s office had repeatedly requested relevant records on agricultural subsidies, grants, aids and intervention programmes but had not received the required cooperation.

“The primary source of these documents is the Ministry of Agriculture. Without those records, concluding the audit process has been difficult,” he said.