Unspent N26bn: We acted in compliance to FG’s financial regulations – Amnesty Office

Nathan Tamarapreye

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) on Friday said that it returned some N26 billion unspent funds to the treasury in compliance to extant financial guidelines.

Mr Nneotaobase Egbe, Special Adviser on Media to Interim Administrator, PAP in a statement dismissed reports that the PAP was targeted in the return of unspent funds.

According to him, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which was developed to check corruption in government Ministries, Departments and Agencies applies across the board and is not restricted to PAP.

The clarification is coming amidst concerns of huge obligations including monthly stipends to beneficiaries of the Amnesty, and those awaiting training mobilisation, empowerment, and contractors’ liabilities.

Egbe noted that the last quarter funds remittance came a few days to the terminal date for the 2020 fiscal year and the PAP was only able to disburse part of it as the payment portal shut the unspent N26 billion.

“The PAP hereby states emphatically that it is true that N26 billion in the account was mopped up on December 31, 2020 as a part of the Federal government wide financial process.

“It is not true that PAP was targeted or singled out as has been rumoured on social media. It has thus become necessary to state the facts as follows:

“In order to reduce the debts owed several contractors since 2014, a payment plan that was sequential was initiated.

“It started with the oldest debt in consideration of vendors’ interest payments on loans secured from banks to execute their contracts.

“A total of 104 such debts based on our records of the level of job completion have been paid as of December 31, 2020.

“Other verified payments could not be made before December 31, 2020 because PAP’s funds for September/October allocation and November/December allocation were received on the 28th of December 2020 and 29th December 2020, respectively.

“In compliance with the Federal Government’s anti-corruption and extant financial regulations, our system was only able to disburse a portion of these funds before the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account was automatically shut down,” Egbe said.

He further stated that the Accountant General of the Federal was promptly notified of the need to rollover the funds to meet the obligation of the PAP to beneficiaries and contractors.

The PAP said it had informed the Minister of Finance has been notified on the need to release the funds to enable PAP to promptly meet its financial obligations contractors handling training and empowerment contracts.

“PAP is committed to prudently dispensing its financial obligations based on extant financial regulations. We therefore urge our ex-agitators/delegates and communities and contractors to remain calm.

“We are sure that these issues would be resolved speedily, and PAP would receive exclusive rollover of funds going forward to avoid this type of situation in the future. “PAP remains committed to restoring payment of stipends on the 25th of every month once the bumps are cleared,” Egbe stated.