The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has decided to investigate the 192 projects executed by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, using N60bn COVID-19 funds released by the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
This development follows a questioning session by the committee about the use of N949 million in COVID-19 intervention monies by the Chief Medical Director of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
During the Monday hearing, FERMA’s Managing Director, Emeka Agabasi, informed the committee that the organization had taken on 192 projects in the six geopolitical zones and had completed 186 of them, leaving only six unfinished.
He stated that thirty of the projects were in the North-West, thirty in the South-West, thirty in the North-South, twenty-seven in the South-East, and thirty in the North-East.
However, the materials that the FERMA chief presented did not impress the lawmakers.
Subsequently, the committee resolved to inspect the projects through a tour.
Additionally, during his appearance before the committee, the CMD of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Prof. Henry Ugboma disclosed that the hospital administration had been given N949 million in five instalments.
The head of the House Committee, Bamidele Salam asserted that the money given to the hospital’s management went above what the National Assembly had authorized.
Subsequently, the committee requested that he furnish all the records pertaining to the money obtained, the contracts granted, and the endorsements from the Federal Executive Council and the Bureau of Public Procurement.
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