The House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Funds has threatened to invoke legislative powers to block the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the North East Development Commission from accessing Ecological Funds.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Ibrahim Ayokunle Isiaka disclosed this on Wednesday in an address at a public hearing on a Bill for an “Act To Establish The Regulation Of Ecological Funds To Address Nigeria’s Ecological Challenges And For Related Matters (HB 739).
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According to him, the Ecological Fund is an intervention Fund set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria to address the multifarious ecological challenges across the country.
Rep. Isiaka added that, the special Fund was established in 1981 through the Federal Account Act, 1981 on the recommendation of the Okigbo Commission.
The committee chairman however stated that, the fund has gone through modifications by Decree 36 of 1984 and 106, OF 1992, allocation of Federation Account Modification Order of 2002 to further modify the Act in 2014.
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He said the Federal Government granted 2% of its share of revenue allocation to States.
“Therefore the 1.46% FGN share of Ecology and Derivation was adjusted to 1% till date.
“The implication of the adjustment as approved by the then Mr President is that States and Local Governments are to intervene by utilizing their share of the Fund on ecological problems in their respective domains,” he added.
He said the Federal Government is to play a coordinating role to address deserving, critical and urgent ecological problems across the six geo political zones of Nigeria.
“Curiously enough, Agencies like NEMA and NEDC have refused till date, to respond to several appeals by the Committee requesting for account of their respective shares from the Ecological Fund.
“Let them make no mistake that if by December 31st 2020 the two Agencies still declined to comply, the Committee shall not only have the option of invoking the necessary Constitutional Provision, but proceed forthwith, to suspend the Agencies from assessing any Fund from the Ecological Funds.
“The total outflows distributed to Federal, States, FCT, 774 Local Government Areas and the Agencies of ‘government from Ecological Fund from January to September 2020 is N54,819,713,400.08,” he said.
The chairman said other agencies accessing the fund were invited but most did not attend the public hearing.
He said, the Committee will apply the same sanctions on organisations who refused to give account of what they have been collecting from the fund.
