The facilitation of development projects for the 26 constituencies in Akwa Ibom State has raised dust of suspicion, Straightnews has learned.
This is because the 26 members in Akwa Ibom House of Assembly have expressed anger and doubt about the alleged execution of the projects without their inputs.
Based on the published Annual report of the Accountant-General With Audited Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December, 2019, N1,632,000,000 was approved for the projects.
However, Government House, Uyo is said to have collected N1,057,283,000 for the projects remaining N574,717,000.
Consequently, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has constituted and inaugurated a four-member Ad-Hoc Committee to investigate controversial spending by the Government in 2019.
The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey announced at Plenary on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 the constitution of an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the 2019 Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements of Akwa Ibom State Government.
The committee has Rt. Hon. Udo Kierian Akpan, House Leader as Chairman, and Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Aniefiok Denis, Deputy House Leader as Secretary.
Other members are the Chairman, Appropriation and Finance Committee, Rt. Hon. Uduak Odudoh and the Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Dr. (Mrs) Charity Ido.
The speaker said “The Committee is mandated to summon, where necessary, all relevant parties, agencies and persons, connecting and having anything to do with the said report”.
He directed the committee to conduct an in-depth investigation and report back to the House within one month.
Bassey noted “The committee is expected to conduct an in-depth, thorough, unbiased, dispassionate and conclusive investigation without leaving any stone unturned and report back to the House within one month”.
The action by the State House of Assembly came on the heels of investigative report by two journalists who exposed extra-budgetary expenditures among other controversial spending by the office of the Akwa Ibom State Governor and Secretary to the State Government.
After the report, the Akwa Ibom State Government on Wednesday November 18, 2020 circulated a new annual report and audited financial statements for the year 2019 arguing that figures in the previous annual report were incorrect. The State Government said that a “coding error” occurred during the preparation of the report.
The new annual report and audited financial statements circulated to journalists in November by the State Government has however brought to the fore other controversial spending.
