Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas Thursday said the ongoing investigation into the utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and intervention allocations to government institutions as a vital step toward promoting transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s public finance system.
He stated this Thursday at the opening of the investigative hearing in Abuja.
Abbas said the House has full confidence in the special committee’s ability to uncover the truth and ensure that public resources are used for their intended purposes.
Represented by House leader, Julius Ihonvbere, the speaker said “Our overall goal is to promote good governance, optimise public resource utilisation, enhance accountability in government business, and strengthen our democracy,” the Speaker said, as he charged the committee to conduct a thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation.
The House had on March 6, 2025, set up the Special Committee following a motion of urgent public importance moved by minority leader, Kingsley Chinda.
The Committee, chaired by Chinedu Martins (PDP, Imo), began its hearing on Thursday with appearances from several government institutions including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Federal Ministry of Health, among others.
The CBN governor, Olayemi Cardoso was represented by the Acting Director of Development Finance, John Hammah, who pledged the bank’s support for the investigation but appealed for more time to gather relevant data.
He said “Mr Chairman and honourable members, we received your invitation only yesterday and quickly put together a preliminary report. However, we now understand the wide scope of your request and the depth of information needed from 2015 to date. We ask for additional time to prepare a comprehensive and accurate report,” Hammah said.
Responding, Chairman Chinedu Martins granted the CBN a two-week extension and directed that Governor Olayemi Cardoso appear in person before the Committee on May 2, 2025.
Similarly, representative of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, James Abalaka was also given two weeks to return with detailed information on disbursements made to various government agencies.
Speaking at the investigation, secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Muhammad Hammajoda, urged the Accountant General’s office to provide a formal breakdown of all disbursements, saying the EFCC would thoroughly analyse the data once received.
“We want a formal report detailing the amounts disbursed, to whom, and for what purpose. That is the format we expect so we can properly evaluate the information,” Hammajoda said.
Representing the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Deputy Director of Accounts, Mr Olatunde Makinde, also requested additional time, citing the Ministry’s need to compile accurate data from numerous health institutions nationwide.
“We received the Committee’s invitation only this morning and don’t want to submit inaccurate information. There are many institutions under our purview, and we need time to collect relevant reports from across the 36 states,” he explained.
Emphasising on the importance of the investigation, Committee Chairman, Chinedu Martins noted the non-adversarial nature of the probe, stressing that the committee’s mission is to ensure that taxpayers’ money has been properly utilised.
“This is not a witch-hunt,” Martins said. “It’s about accountability. Every naira must be accounted for. We urge all agencies to cooperate fully. The Nigerian people deserve to know how these public funds were spent and whether they achieved their intended impact.”
The committee’s work is expected to cover funds disbursed between 2015 and 2024 to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), government institutions, and Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs).
