Senators may summon Finance Minister, Shamsudeen Usman, and the Accountant General of the Federation, Ibrahim Dankwambo, over the non-release of N9.4 billion allocation to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The money is withheld from the allocation to the NEMA from 2003 to 2007.
The summons would be predicated on a motion to be moved this week by the Chairman of the Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Smart Adeyemi.
In the motion contained in the Senate Notice Paper, the committee noted that since 2003, government has been taking 1.46 per cent of each year’s budget as Ecological Fund, from which 20 per cent should be allocated to the NEMA annually.
Adeyemi stated that the discovery was made during an oversight tour of the NEMA in January.
“NEMA is empowered, among other functions, to distribute emergency relief materials to victims of natural or other disasters and also assist in the rehabilitation of the victims where necessary.
“Section 13 Subsection 2(b) of the Act provides for 20 per cent of the Federal Government’s share of Ecological Funds for the management of ecological related disasters to be released to the agency.
“We are concerned that in the course of our oversight work on NEMA on January 18, 2008, it was discovered that from 2003 to 2006, the 20 per cent Ecological Fund due to NEMA was not released.
“We are also concerned that in 2007, the Federal Government received N23,514,150, 309. 10 as Ecological Fund, of which NEMA was entitled to N4,702,830,061,82 (20 per cent) but no single kobo was released to NEMA.
“The total amount due NEMA as outstanding allocation from 2003 to 2006 and the whole allocation for 2007 as Ecological Fund is N9,398, 603,500.21.”