Kano State House of Assembly on Monday directed Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), State Primary Health Care, and Kano Printing Press to refund over N260 million unaccounted funds back to government account.
Besides, the assembly at the plenary presided by Speaker Rt. Hon. Jibril Ismail Falgore, indicted the three state agencies for misappropriation of allocation and internally generated resources.
In a unanimous adoption of recommendations of the house committee on public account submitted after presenting the 2021 audited public account, the assembly cautioned all ministries, agencies and parastatals to comply with due diligence on public finance or risk the penalty.
Earlier, the Chairman House Committee on Public Account, and member representing Fagge constituency, Hon. Mohammed Tukur who presented the audited 2021 public account during Monday’s plenary worried about financial iniquity in the government agencies.
In the report, Hon. Tukur narrated how allocations on COVID-19 and Social welfare programs got zero release of funds while the construction of 100 pit toilets with an estimated budget of N200 million secured 100 percent release.
The Fagge lawmaker also lamented how the previous administration refused to approve the audit of six years of public account, leaving behind a backlog of unaudited public expenditure.
Hon. Tukur raised concern about the misuse of public revenues and allocations by KAROTA, the Ministry of Finance and Kano Printing Press as indicted in the audited account.
Earlier, majority leader Lawan Husain moved a motion that should compel the auditor general and accountant general of the state to ensure proper accountability and transparency of public funds and refund of misappropriated monies by MDAs.
The leader also called for a revisit of the report of the House Committee on Financial Compliance that indicted several agencies for the impropriety of state resources.
While adopting the audited public account report and recommendations of the committee, Speaker Rt. Hon. Falgore warned government MDAs to demonstrate a high level of prudence in the management of the Commonwealth.
The speaker reminded that the assembly will no longer accept any act of recklessness in the dispense of allocation and IGR, insisted MDA found wanting will be meant to refund and face the wrath of the law.
Meanwhile, two re-elected members of the assembly have been re-admitted as bonafide members of the assembly after scaling through the run elections.
The members are former deputy speaker and member representing Rimin-Gado/Tofa constituency Hon. Mohammed Bello Butubutu and former Chairman House Committee on Health, Hon. Zakariya Alhassan Isaq of Kura/Garun-Mallam.
The two members of the ruling New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) were returned to their former leadership positions with immediate effect after a unanimous decision of the assembly.
