NIPSS boss grilled over planned purchase of N72m cars

The House of Representatives Committee on Governmental Affairs on Wednesday grilled the Director-General of the Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Jonathan Jumah, over the plan to acquire two cars in 2019 with N72m.

The management of NIPSS and the Administrative Staff College appeared before the committee to defend their proposed expenditure as contained in the 2019 Appropriation Bill.

The Chairman of the committee, Mr Hussaini Kangiwa, asked both the DG of NIPSS and the Executive Secretary of the ASC to furnish the panel with proofs of payment for all items listed to have been procured in their 2018 budget performance reports.

Members of the committee, who scrutinised the NIPSS documents, asked why the institute planned to spend a total N72m on just two vehicles.

Jumah said the mistake was that the agency did not indicate the type of vehicles to be purchased in the documents. He explained that the vehicles were meant for project monitoring and that NIPSS could only opt for SUVs with modified specifications.

A member of the panel, Mr Yusuf Ikara, however, argued that the cost of the vehicle, having being specified at the rate of N36m each, was exorbitant.

Kangiwa also said, “Whatever was received was government’s money which belong to Nigerians and they need to know how their money is expended.”

(PUNCH)