The House of Representatives has summoned the immediate past
Postmaster-General of the Federation, Mr Bisi Adegbuyi, over a
backlog of unaudited accounts by the Nigerian Postal Service,
beginning from 2014.
The House Committee on Public Accounts issued the summons at an
investigative hearing in Abuja on Wednesday.
A team of management staff of NIPOST, led by the current
Postmaster-General of the Federation, Dr Ismail Adewusi, had
appeared before the committee to respond to inquiries about
unaudited accounts of the government agency.
Adewusi, who was grilled by the committee on the failure by
NIPOST to render its audited accounts to the Auditor-General of the
Federation for the period under review, told the lawmakers that he
just resumed office and that frantic efforts were being made to get
the audited accounts ready for submission.
The lawmakers however rejected Adewusi’s submission, insisting
that the immediate past postmaster-general should be made to appear
before it to account for his stewardship.
Chairman of the committee, Mr Oluwole Oke, said, “I think the
former NIPOST (boss) must appear before this committee to account
for his stewardship. He owes Nigerians a full explanation on how he
expended their money. This is not a Banana Republic where anything
goes.”
Consequently, the committee stepped down the matter, asking
Adewusi to produce the immediate-past postmaster-general before it
on a date to be communicated to him.
In a related development, the committee also condemned the
inability of the management of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory
Commission to submit its audited accounts to the Auditor-General of
the Federation as and when due.
The lawmakers said it was a breach of the constitution for a
regulatory agency set up by law not to be able to account for funds
collected from the public.
Consequently, the committee summoned both the past and the
current managements of the NERC.