Ondo lawmakers quiz commissioner over N30 billion bond

Ondo State House of Assembly yesterday quizzed the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Adewale Akinterinwa, on how the N30 billion bond approved by the House was accessed and spent by the Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu-led administration.

Akinterinwa, while addressing the House, lauded the lawmakers for approving the raising of the bond and noted that only N14.8 billion had been accessed out of the initial N30 billion raised.

He told the House that the remaining N14.2 would be accessed soon as the required documents had been perfected, saying that the initial N14.8 billion was spent on ongoing projects.

He listed the projects to include building of teaching hospitals in Akure and Ondo, construction of fly-over on Lagos-Benin Expressway at Ore and the Ikare road dualisation project.

While answering questions on why the House rehabilitation was not captured in the first tranche of the fund, Akinterinwa explained that the technicality behind it and pledged that the second tranche of N14.2 billion would capture the House rehabilitation project.

Following an audit query from the office of the Auditor-General of Ondo State as verified and presented in the report of the House Committee on Public Accounts, the House raised questions on the N4 billion reportedly lodged in a third generation bank without due process over 10 years ago.

Chairman of the committee, Public Accounts, Edamisan Ademola, while presenting the report at plenary, sought to know details of all transactions on the bank account up to the date the account was discovered.

Akinterinwa said that he facilitated the discovery of the money stashed in a bank account for over 10 years.

He maintained that no consultant was hired in the course of retrieving the fund as being speculated.

However, not satisfied with the explanation given, the House resolved to probe the financial transaction further, urging the finance ministry to furnish the Public Accounts Committee of the House with all necessary documents.

Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Mr. Sunday Olajide, ruled out any form of witch-hunting, adding that the steps taken by the Assembly were meant to entrench transparency and accountability into government business.

Meanwhile, the Speaker, Bamidele David Oleyelogun, who lauded the lawmakers for showing maximum commitment to their constitutional responsibility, appreciated the members for the role they played towards stemming the spread of the COVID-19 and assuaging the plight of the vulnerable ones.