Senate probes minister, AGF - For withholding NEMA funds

Taiwo Adisa and Soji Eze-Fagbemi, Abuja - 10.03.2008

The Senate will on Tuesday commence a probe into the seizure of N9.3 billion from the statutory allocations of the National Emergency Management authority (NEMA) by the Minister of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation(AGF) between 2003 and 2007. A motion to that effect will be moved by the Chairman, Senate

Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator Smart Adeyemi, (PDP Kogi West). The motion, already contained in the notice of order paper of the Senate for Tuesday, indicated that Senator Adeyemi is calling on the Senate to summon the Minister of Finance, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman and the Accountant General of the Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo.

In the motion entitled: “Withholding of the sum of N9, 398, 603, 500 due to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) by the Federal Government between 2003- 2007,” Senator Adeyemi stated that the Federal Government had refused to release the amount, thereby hampering the operations of the agency.