The Chairman of Public Account Committee, Anambra State House of Assembly, Noble Igwe, on Wednesday disclosed that its PAC was not created to witch-hunt any ministry, department or parastatal, but to ensure transparency, accountability and probity.
Igwe made this known when the Ministry of Power and Water Resources appeared before the Committee on Oversight and Review of the 2022 Audit Account of the Government.
He said, “We’re not here to witch-hunt anybody. Our target is to ensure probity and judicious use of funds. We’re interested in looking at the papers vis-a-vis appropriation law and audited accounts and juxtaposing them to confirm their authenticity with the law.
“For example, you can’t appropriate what’s meant for borehole for electricity. It’s not done. We have specifics in our budget to ensure funds allocated for each purpose are used for such purposes.”
Expressing satisfaction about the ministry’s performance,
Igwe, who was satisfied with ministry’s performance, however identified certain areas their payment vouchers did not tally with in the audited accounts, calling on the commissioner and his team to go back and cross-check their records ahead of next sitting.
Commissioner for Power and Water Resources, Julius Chukwuemeka, an engineer; commended the process, noting that it was transparent and in tandem with the current administration to ensure transparency and accountability for the benefit of residents.
“The issue of accounting also entails committee members visiting the project locations to see for themselves exactly what is on ground, which we’ll furnish them with the lists.”
Other ministries that appeared before the committee yesterday included that of Culture and Tourism as well as Sports.
