Date: 2015-08-12

The House of Representatives on Tuesday raised questions about the over N610 million budgetary appropriation to Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPADEC) in the last five years, even though the body is yet to take off.

The Act establishing HYPADEC was passed into law by the Senate and House of Representatives on May 26, 2010, and June 3, 2010, respectively, and assented to by President Goodluck Jonathan on August 10, 2010. Even though it is yet to take off, the sum of N353 million was appropriated for the commission in 2011, and another N248 million in 2014 and N10 million in 2015 budgets.

The lawmakers therefore directed the Committee on Power, when constituted, to investigate the reasons for the delay in the take-off of the commission five years after the Act established it.

The committee is also to investigate the utilisation, or otherwise of the N610,176,000 appropriations so far made for it from 2011 to 2015.

Hon. Mohammed Mahmud (Niger APC) sponsored the motion, and expressed worry that the Commission has not taken off, causing enormous hardship for the people within the areas of operation of hydroelectric dams and creating serious ecological challenges.

The House of Representatives also directed its Committees on Police Affairs and Legislative Compliance, when constituted, to investigate the circumstances of a N5 billion fund meant for recruitment into the Nigeria Police appropriated by the seventh assembly in 2014.

It also called on the Police Service Commission (PSC) to accede to calls for the recruitment of more police personnel to bridge the current low number of personnel, and to enhance their capacity through improved welfare packages.

A motion sponsored by Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta (Abia PDP), at plenary yesterday, quoted the Inspector General of Police (IG), Solomon Arase, as saying that about 20 to 30 policemen died monthly, and there is no provision to replace them.

Nkem-Abonta cited the UN recommendation for effective policing as 222 policemen per 100,000 citizens, with Nigeria having a grossly inadequate 370,000 policemen for its 170 million citizens.

Following amendments to the motion, the House resolved to ensure adequate budgetary provision for the police in the 2016 budget, for welfare and enhanced operational capacity. It also urged the Police to make concerted efforts to avoid recruiting people with questionable character.

In a similar manner, the lower chamber also mandated its Committee on Finance, when constituted, to investigate accounting procedures of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), following concerns that there may be irregularities in procedure and calculations of the four per cent of the non-oil taxes which the body is empowered to retain as operational costs.

Hon. Abubakar Amuda Kannike, (Kwara APC), in a motion, noted that out of the N4.69 trillion generated by the FIRS in 2014, non oil taxes were given as N2.24 trillion.

"Four per cent which amounted to N89.6bn was presumably retained as operational costs by the Service that year...,the Service has generated N1.842 trillion in revenue from January to June 2014," he added.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the country has been experiencing dwindling revenue earnings from the sales of crude oil, due to the weakening global demand and fall in oil prices, a product which the country depends on.

He added that there is the need to ensure transparency, accountability, and due diligence in the management of the country's revenue to rekindle hope in its creditors about the ability to address macro-economic concerns.