Benue State House of Assembly has directed the state government to unfreeze the accounts of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to enable them function efficiently and effectively.
The House gave the directive during Plenary on Monday, held at the hearing hall, Benue State House of Assembly, Makurdi and Presided over by Speaker, Hon. Hyacinth Dajoh
The directive was sequel to a motion by the member representing Oju 1 State Constituency, Hon. Blessed Onah, calling on the Commissioner for Finance, Benue State to appear before the House to explain why accounts of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) still remained frozen.
‘The Commissioner of Finance should expedite action and complete the process of unfreezing the accounts and report back to the House within two (2) weeks”
The House also directed the Hon. Commissioner of Finance and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry to explain why the Governor’s directives to honour the resolutions of the House has not been complied with, requesting the Finance Commissioner to show remorse for his actions
“The Commissioner of Finance should tender apology to this House and the entire State, for the stress his actions and inactions have caused”
Earlier the mover of the motion, Hon. Onah noted that, on Thursday, March 21st, 2024, the House unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Governor of Benue State, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia to unfreeze all the frozen accounts of Benue State MDAs to enable them function effectively
Hon. Onah disclosed that following the resolution, the Governor, speaking through his Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, issued a Press Statement on Friday, 22nd March, 2024, directing the Commissioner for Finance and the Ministry to ensure that they initiate and complete the unfreezing of the accounts as soon as possible.
“It will be recalled that Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, after taking the Oath of Office, ordered temporary restrictions on all government accounts. The decision was necessitated by the genuine aim to protect government assets and to instill much needed accountability in public expenditure
“This Singular move saved the State a lot of money, freeing up much needed resources for use in the interest of Benue people. We are grateful for the understanding and support of the civil service and the good people of our dear state.
“On attainment of the objectives set by the Government before the commencement of this policy, the Governor recently instructed the Ministry of Finance to put measures in place to remove all restrictions placed on accounts.
He noted that, from the House Committee on Finance last oversight visit, most of the MDAs, are not functioning properly as their accounts remained frozen.
Seconding the motion, member representing Makurdi North, Hon. Alfred Emberga called on the State Government or entity concern to always respect the decision or decisions taken by the House and urged the State Government to unfreeze MDAs’ accounts.
On their parts, members representing Agasha, Apa and Mbagwa State Constituencies, Hon. William Ortyom, Hon. Abu Umaru and Hon. Saater Tiseer said, most of the MDAs are not functioning due the continued freezing of their various accounts, hence the need to unfreeze them for optimal performance.
They stated that, there is no need for presentation and passage of appropriation budget if the funds cannot reach the MDAs and also noted that, the 2025 Appropriation Budget will be approved for MDAs based on their physical and financial performance.
