The House of Representatives’ Committee on Finance has lamented that some agencies of the Federal Government are frustrating consideration of the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper submitted to the National Assembly by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

Several agencies have failed to appear before the committee in the ongoing public hearing on the MTEF/FSP, which is supposed to have been approved by the National Assembly ahead of the presentation of the 2022 Appropriation Bill to the parliament.

On Tuesday, the committee particularly called out the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the National Lottery Trust Fund, stating that the Standard Organisation of Nigeria and the National Inland Waterways Authority must answer the invitations to them.

Chairman of the committee, James Faleke, said the lawmakers might be forced to make drastic moves against the agencies concerned, warning that any agency that refused to appear before the committee ‘will be properly taken care of by the House’.

Faleke said, “We are getting to the end of our consideration of MTEF/FSP 2022-2024 forwarded to us by Mr. President and as directed by the House, we decided to stay back from our holidays to carry out this national assignment.

“We have observed that some agencies are avoiding to come and present their papers before us and we want to make it abundantly clear that any agency of government that refuses to appear and defend their revenue profile and expenditure will be properly taken care of by the House.

“For NIMASA, this is the second time we are making this announcement. They must bring forward their documents and declare their revenue profile.

“FAAN is supposed to come here tomorrow (Wednesday) and there will be no more room for postponement. They must come and defend their sources of revenue line item by line item.

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“The National Lottery Trust Fund must come here and defend the income they received and the way they are managing that fund.

“The NDIC is supposed to appear before us today but we are yet to see them. The Standards Organisation of Nigeria, National Inland Waterways Authority, are also supposed to appear before us and they must appear before Thursday.

“Do not allow us to take steps that are not palatable to the agencies.”

Meanwhile, the committee queried the Corporate Affairs Commission over its failure to remit any revenue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the between 2016 and 2019, while spending far above the amount generated as revenue.

Consequently, Faleke asked the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation not to give any agency any budgetary allocation for the 2022 fiscal year until issues regarding their revenue profiles have been cleared by the committee.