The NRC appearance was sequel to an Audit query issued by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation between 2013 and 2014 financial years.
However, the Committee stepped down the presentations of one O. Osunmade and A. Niyi who represented the Corporation at the sitting for “misrepresentation of facts before the parliament”.
Chairman of the Committee, Wole Oke, asserted that the documents before the Committee cannot stand the test of time and what the officials told the Committee was different from what was contained in the documents the Corporation submitted to legislature.
“We will have to step down their matter for misrepresentation of facts, consequently, a sub committee will be set up to look into the financial books and the activities of the Corporation for accountability.
“Also the Secretariat should write officially to the Minister of Finance and the governor of the Central of Nigeria (CBN), to provide the Committee the detailed financial accounts of the Corporation in the period under review to guide the Committee in the course of its investigation of the missing money,” Oke submitted.
The Committee frowned at the request of the Corporation that it should be allowed to go back to study the documents and to come back for more details, stressing that the request was not acceptable.
“Most of the pages of the audited accounts here before the Parliament were not signed, it shows that the report was not approved by the management of the Corporation”.
Also, the Committee grilled the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Suleiman Abdulkareem, over audit queries against the institution in the between 2013 and 2014.
It demanded convincing reasons while the institution would not refund over N12 billion advanced payments made to individuals between 2013 and 2014 but is now making retirement five years after.
The Chairman of the Committee, Oke dismissed the claims of the Vice-Chancellor that he was not in the office when the incident happened, describing the excuse as an untenable since governance was a continuous one.
According to him, “all the retirements made in your submission are questionable, afterthought and unacceptable to us. You collected money in 2013 and you are just making the retirements now; these are makeup receipts. This is grossly against financial regulations
” Go and look for those concerned and do the needful or the Institution be ready to refund the money to the Federal government immediately.”
The Vice-Chancellor however pleaded with the Committee to give him more time to resolve the matter with an assurance that such illegal practice would not be allowed under his watch as the University Administrator.
