The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described Monday’s Public Hearing conducted by the State House of Assembly on a bill titled ‘Kwara State Public Accounts Audit Bill, 2021’ as a hoax and silly attempt to hoodwink the public.
In a statement on Monday by its State Publicity Secretary, Tunde Ashaolu, the Kwara PDP alleged that the House had already prepared and sent the bill to the State Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq who is expected to sign it into law on Tuesday to meet Wednesday deadline set by the World Bank.
It added that whatever contributions made by individuals and groups who attended the Public Hearing are futile as they cannot be included in the bill that has been taken to the governor’s desk for assent.
The Kwara PDP disclosed that “the House had to hurriedly arrange the Public Hearing because it is part of the mandatory requirement the State must meet to access the World Bank State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Program for Results (SFTAS) grant which is about two million dollars. The application process for the grant closes on Wednesday, 30 June, 2021.
“If the State government and the House were sincere and responsible, the public hearing ought to have been held long before now so that contributions by members of the public would be considered in the preparation of the bill, which is the essence of public hearings. We are left to believe that House and the State Government are trying to hide something from Kwarans, and there is also no assurance that the funds will be judiciously used when accessed.
“Kwarans will recall that that was the same manner the House hurriedly within 24 hours considered and approved Governor Abdulrazaq’s request to access a N35billion bond. This has only got to show that the House led by Hon. Yakubu Danladi and Governor Abdulrazaq do not have regard for due process, accountability and transparency.
“We also want Kwarans, civil society and the media to note that the leadership of the Kwara Assembly has deliberately ignored the convention that chairmanship of the public account committee of the House be assigned to a member of the minority party in the House for accountability sake. By virtue of this convention, Hon. Abdulraheem Jimoh Agboola of the PDP ought to have been appointed the Chairman of the House Public Accounts Committee. But in order to avoid scrutiny, the House leadership has refused to do the needful.”
