The House of Representatives has summoned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim to explain a hotel bill of N767 million after the Office of the Auditor General raised a query as to how the Presidential Advisory Committee led by retired General Theophilus Danjuma spent N1.2 billion in 2010.
The House Committee on Public Accounts which is spearheading the investigation alleges that the PAC led by Danjuma received the funds from the Service Wide Vote Account and spent N767 million on hotel bills and accomodation at the Transcorp Hilton.
The Committee summoned Anyim because his office directed the Budget Office of the Federation to release the sum. Also Chairman of the committee, Solomon Olamilekan also summoned the management of the hotel to shed more light on how the funds were spent.
The DG of the Budget Office, Dr. Bright Okogwu who appeared before the committee on Wednesday said it was not the fault of his office that the funds were released.
He said, “These funds you mentioned were not spent by the budget office. There were directives to release money to agencies, to put the records straight.
“The PAC was under the SGF and the chairman was T.Y. Danjuma. It was an ad hoc committee that did its assignment and folded up.”
Okogwu refused to bow to pressure from the committee that his office was accountable if the money was misappropriated.
“No, no, I cannot account for the money, the budget office did not spend the money,” he insisted.
He advised the Committee to look the way of the office of the SGF and the PAC members.
Olamilekan responded, “We will take your advice to look the way of the SGF. However, your presence will be needed because the query was against your office, not the SGF.
“If the audit query had mentioned the SGF, the committee would not have invited you in the first place.
“But now that you are telling us that it is the SGF that should account for the money, we will invite the SGF, though you will be around when he comes.”