Apparently disturbed by lack of evidence for the purchase of operational vehicles, the Senate committtee on Public Accounts has ordered the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Alwan Hassan to refund N49 million into Federation Account.
Indeed, there was a mild drama at the investigative hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Friday as Hassan, could not show evidence of purchase of two new Toyota Prado and a Ford Ranger Sports Utility Vehicles for the purpose of monitoring agric mechanisation programme.
The committee had summoned the BoA boss based on a query issued by the office of Auditor General of the Federation in its 2017 report.
Appearing before the committee to explain the purchase and whereabouts of the vehicles bought with N49m, the MD of the bank could not present document to indicate that the vehicles were purchased.
Hassan, rather presented a letter from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, which mandated him to withdraw money from the Agricultural Mechanisation Fund to procure the vehicles.
Members of the committee expressed shock as the MD was unable to show any concrete evidence that the vehicles existed.
Irked by the development, chairman of the committee, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, asked how Hassan paid for the SUVs without seeing the vehicles.
Urhoghide stated that the vehicles were never bought by the Bank of Agriculture and consequently sustained the query issued against the bank.
“The vehicles were never bought by the Bank, I sustain the query”.
He also ordered a refund of the amount expended for the purchase of the vehicles into Federation Account.
