Niger State House of Assembly Considers ,Adopts Reports from Standing Committees.
The Niger State House of Assembly has reviewed and adopted the reports from two of its Standing Committees: the Committee on Public Accounts and the Committee on Works and Infrastructure, during today’s plenary session.
This important development reflects the Assembly’s dedication to transparency, accountability, and effective governance in managing public resources.
Hon. Aliyu Sheshi Wushishi, the Member representing Wushishi Constituency, presented the report of the Committee on Public Accounts on behalf of the Committee Chairman, Hon. Andrew Doma, Minority Leader and Member representing Shiroro Constituency.
The report highlighted several critical issues and put forth recommendations aimed at improving financial management practices in Local Government Areas (LGAs) and ensuring accountability.
The Committee’s recommendations include:
– Implementing stringent sanctions on accounting officers of LGAs for late submission of responses.
– Initiating a status inquiry into the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the LGAs to address apparent infractions and their financial implications.
– Instituting severe sanctions against LGAs that fail to make appropriate remittances of generated revenue.
– Providing training and skill development in public sector financial management and budget tracking, including compliance with the International Public Sector Financial Reporting Standards (IPSAS).
These recommendations are intended to foster transparency and accountability in public fund management while equipping LGAs with the necessary skills to handle their finances effectively.
The Committee on Works and Infrastructure, led by Hon. Arc. Abubakar Suleiman Gomna, Member representing Bosso Constituency, presented its report on the oversight of all ongoing capital projects throughout the state.
The Committee conducted a two-week oversight review of the 556-kilometer road project across the twenty-five (25) Local Government Areas, as well as inspections of public buildings under the Ministry’s supervision.
The Committee’s findings and observations included:
– Mobilization fees have been paid to all contractors, and nearly all contractors have mobilized to the project sites.
– Most projects have experienced upward revisions.
– There are outstanding compensation issues at some project sites.
– Most project engineers have not received their allowances, making effective site supervision difficult.
– Some contractors have payment certificates without cash backing.
The Committee’s recommendations include:
– Prompt payment of outstanding compensation to affected communities.
– Provision of official vehicles for site engineers to facilitate their work.
– Timely payment of allowances to project engineers.
– Regular quality control tests on every project.
– Review of project timelines, prompt fund releases, and revised completion schedules.
These recommendations aim to ensure that capital projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards.
Following the presentation of the reports and subsequent discussions, the House unanimously adopted all the recommendations from the Committees.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Barr. (Dr.) Abdulmalik Mohammed Sarkin-Daji, commended the Chairmen and Members of the Committees for their diligent work and directed the Clerk of the House to transmit the House’s recommendations accordingly.
