The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, accused the office of the Auditor General to the Federation (oAuGF) of spending N1.9million on an empty staff clinic.
The lawmakers in session also queried the reckless expenditure observed in its financial records from the approved budgetary allocation for 2019 to 2021.
The House also queried the nation’s financial police of unwarranted spending even in the face of the crippling COVID-19 lock down in 2020.
The resolution was passed during an oversight function to the oAuGF headquarters in Abuja, where chairman and members of the House Public Accounts Committee, led by Hon. Wole Oke, who picked holes in the financial reports without vouchers and other supporting documents.
Some of the subheads queried by the lawmakers include: N1.9 million allegedly spent on new clinic and additional sum of N3.967 million spent on drugs and medical supplies as well as N7.721 million spent on medical consulting despite payment of N55.933 million as NHIS contribution as contained in the 2020 financial statement against N87.870 million NHIS contribution paid in 2019.
The oversight which transmuted into a regular legislative session for the committee also saw the lawmakers demanding for the staff nominal roll of the office of the Auditor General for the Federation over increase in the N1.977 billion personnel cost for 2019 to N1.991 billion was appropriated in 2020, despite the depleting workforce and the request for 500 new staff.
However, a visit to the clinic which is located on the first floor of the Audit House, revealed that there were only two female nurses dressed in mufti and a medium oxygen cylinder beside a single and the only bed in the supposed health facility.
According to the documents presented to the Committee, out of total sum of N984.231 million budget appropriated in 2019, the sum of N969.487 million was released for which training got a larger chunk.