The Ogun State House of Assembly on Monday began the probe of a former State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Waheed Odusile and the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abiodun on New Media, Ojo Emmanuel, over alleged financial infractions and mismanagement of N92.9 million.
Also being investigated are: a former Permanent Secretary in the Information and Strategy, Mr. Abiodun Awere and the Director of Finance and Accounts who served in the Ministry between 2021 and 2022.
To this end, the House Committee on Public Accounts and Anti-Corruption summoned Odusile, Ojo, Awere and the Director of Finance to appear before it to clarify some financial infractions contained in the audit reports for 2021 and 2022.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Damilare Bello, issued the directive while considering the ministry’s auditor reports for the years 2021 and 2022 and the financial records as presented by the Permanent Secretary, Waheed Adesina at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta on Monday.
Bello, in company with other members of the committee, submitted that the invited officials were expected to appear before the committee on Thursday, February 29 to provide further information on various infractions regarding N92.9m released to the ministry from the governor’s contingency fund to supplement funds released for the expenditures of the ministry.
The committee also directed the ministry’s Director of Finance and Accounts to furnish it with further details on the transfer of N2.51m to individual accounts as contained in the Year 2021 Auditor General Report.
“It was observed from the available records and bank statements of the agency that N2,515,590.00 was transferred to the personal accounts of Mr. Ojo Emmanuel, Special Adviser on Media for the purchase of working tools for OGSG New Media Team.
“This was a breach of Due Process procedure and it is against financial Regulations No. 614. It is advised that funds should be transfered directly to the vendors Bank Accounts and not individual personal accounts for the purpose of accountability and transparency,” the committee said.
The committee equally directed the Director, Finance and Accounts to avail it with the ministry’s up-to-date fixed asset register, while requesting the submission of the cash inflows and outflows.
Responding, the Permanent Secretary, Adesina, assured the committee that efforts were being made to guide against issues raised in the audit report, promising that the ministry would comply with all the directives with a view to continually promoting accountability and transparency in the running of ministry.(Daily trust)
