The House of Representatives has directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, to provide a detailed breakdown of payments made to contractors from the N2.4 trillion recently released by the Federal Government for project execution nationwide.
The directive followed confirmation from the Office of the Accountant-General that the sum had already been approved for disbursement.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu disclosed this after a meeting with the Association of Indigenous Contractors of Nigeria in Abuja.
The session came on the heels of earlier protests over delayed payments, which resulted in a partial settlement of 25 per cent in September.
The House also warned contractors to ensure authenticity of executed projects, stressing that payments for incomplete or fictitious works would not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen has emphasised the need to curb corruption and revenue leakages, warning that Nigeria loses billions of naira annually to procurement fraud and inefficiencies.
Speaking at the 8th Annual Conference of the African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices (AN-PBO) in Abuja, Abbas said the National Assembly is pushing reforms through tighter procurement laws, an updated Fiscal Responsibility Act, and the establishment of the National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO), a non-partisan body that will enhance legislative analysis.
The Speaker outlined Africa’s fiscal challenges, including rising debt, widespread poverty, and illicit financial flows draining billions of dollars each year.
He reaffirmed support for President Bola Tinubu’s policy of strategic and responsible borrowing, while stressing that loans must be tied to infrastructure, growth, and poverty reduction in a transparent and sustainable manner.
Abbas further urged African parliaments to adopt artificial intelligence and digital tools to modernise oversight, detect irregularities, and expand citizen access to budget data.
Chairperson of the AN-PBO Governing Council, Prof. Dumisani Jantjies, said the network was established to strengthen oversight through non-partisan fiscal analysis.
He noted that Nigeria’s NABRO was already proving its value, but warned that inflation and poverty remain pressing challenges.
Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, described the Abuja conference as a reaffirmation of Africa’s commitment to transparency and evidence-based budgeting.
