The House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts has proposed removing the National Examinations Council (NECO), the University of Ibadan (UI), and 22 other agencies from the 2025 federal budget due to their failure to account for funds allocated to them in previous years.
Bamidele Salam, Chairman of the Committee, shared the recommendation on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, explaining that the lack of accountability within these institutions has hindered the effective execution of Nigeria’s budget.
Salam highlighted that several agencies, including NECO and UI, have repeatedly ignored summons from the House to explain their use of funds from the 2024 budget and prior years.
He criticized the lack of discipline among these institutions, which he believes undermines the government’s commitment to efficient budget implementation.
“The Public Accounts Committee is tasked with ensuring accountability, transparency, and the proper use of resources allocated to ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs),” Salam said.
“However, some agencies have been non-compliant, refusing to attend hearings and provide records that substantiate how funds were used in previous years, including 2020, 2021, and 2022.”
He pointed out that, according to Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009 and other relevant laws, agencies that fail to account for public funds or ignore official invitations risk losing future funding.
The Committee, after reviewing the performance of various MDAs, has decided to recommend that 24 of these agencies, including NECO, be excluded from the 2025 budget due to their non-compliance.
Salam provided an example of NECO, which has failed to respond to invitations or attend hearings up to five times.
This pattern of refusal, he said, led to the recommendation for the delisting of the agency, alongside others that have similarly neglected their accountability obligations.
This action, according to the Committee, aims to enforce stricter adherence to transparency and efficiency in the use of public funds.
