Posted by By FEMI BABAFEMI on
The House of Representatives has provided a graphic detail of how the 2005 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia was messed up. It would be recalled that thousands of intending pilgrims could not travel to Saudi Arabia last December due to shoddy arrangements.
The House of Representatives has provided a graphic detail of how the 2005 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia was messed up. It would be recalled that thousands of intending pilgrims could not travel to Saudi Arabia last December due to shoddy arrangements.
Already, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, which probed the 2005 Hajj in its report, indicted Senator Ibrahim Mantu who was the Amirul Hajj (Leader of delegation) for his inability to account for how billions of naira collected for the exercise was spent.
Though the House has directed the Auditor General of the Federation, Chief Joseph Ajiboye, to appoint an independent auditor to scrutinise the financial transactions for the Hajj operations and submit findings to the National Assembly under three months in accordance with section 85 of the 1999 constitution, it also mandated the same committee, which uncovered the scam, to probe further, with a view to make more discoveries.
Not pleased with Mantu's inability to produce any document which details his committtee's expenditure, coupled with the refusal of the Directorate of Pilgrim Affairs (DPA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to release vital documents relating to the exercise, the House also demands that the Director, DPA and its Accountant be suspended to pave way for further investigations.
During initial investigations, the House committee had discovered that though a total sum of $672,040.00 was budgeted for the 2005 Amirul Hajj delegation, actual expenditure really rose to $972,818.53, without any voucher or supporting document to prove payments.
As a result, the House is insisting that 'further investigation is needed to establish the financial dealings on the excess budgetary expenditure for the Amirul Hajj delegation."
Beside the less transparent manner the funds made available for the exercise was spent, the House also attributed the failure of the Hajj operations to conflict of vested interests among top government officials.
'The selection of air carriers was often delayed at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidency for reasons that appear to do with vested interests of some individuals. This selection in some instances was dangerously delayed because of insistence to include Trans Air International in the list of air carriers to be appointed," the report said.
The report further disclosed that 'the status of the contract agreement entered into between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Directorate of Pilgrims Affairs and the air carriers was of doubtful validity to provide enforcement of duties and obligations. DPA has no legal department nor do these contracts go through the Federal Ministry of Justice."
Added to this is the fact that 'the accounting practices of the DPA leaves much to be desired, as there are no clear records and statements from banks to facilitate independent reconciliation of its financial transaction or report thereon," the report revealed.