The former Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum Anthony Sani has condemned the recent decision by the House of Representatives to step down a motion to investigate the unaccounted N15tn revenue held by the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).
The motion, which was sponsored by Mansur Soro, the representative for Darazo/Ganjuwa Federal Constituency in Bauchi State, was tabled last week but later postponed by the Green Chamber.
Soro had raised concerns about the non-compliance with constitutional provisions regarding the disbursement of revenues from FAAC to state and local governments. He cited Section 162 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates that any funds in the Federation Account should be distributed among the federal, state, and local governments based on terms prescribed by the National Assembly.
Instead of adhering to this constitutional requirement, Soro accused FAAC of introducing a revenue savings policy that diverts revenues from the distributable pool account. According to Soro, FAAC has saved N15tn over the past 20 months, without providing clear guidelines or updates on how these funds are being managed or distributed among the federal government, the 36 states, and 774 local government councils.
Soro also criticized the lack of a legal framework to govern the management of the saved funds, including interest and investments. Despite the gravity of the situation, the motion was postponed after Soro was urged to step it down.
In response, Sani expressed concerns over why FAAC is holding such a large sum while the three tiers of government are struggling with harsh economic conditions. Rights lawyer Abdul Mahmud also condemned the House’s decision, calling it an unfortunate development.
