The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies has upbraided the Head of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Dr Amos Dangut, for his inability to account for the expenditure of N5 billion on the procurement of customised calculators for students.
The committee, chaired by Mr Oforji Oboku, found WAEC in violation of the Financial, Public Procurement, and Financial Regulations Acts over the payment of 50 per cent of the contract for the construction of its Taraba State office, worth N532 million.
During the committee proceedings on Tuesday, lawmakers accused Dangut of conducting himself like an “uncooperative witness” by refusing to render WAEC’s statement of account, which should have indicated the lodgment of the monies sourced from First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) as a loan.
Recall that the committee had, at its proceeding on the 23rd of July, directed Dangut to, among other things, tender WAEC’s statement of account from 2018-2023, its nominal roll, evidence of the submission of WAEC’s audited account to the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, and details of how it raised a N6 billion deficit to fund its 2023 budget worth N33.3 billion.
The committee maintained that WAEC lacked the authority to source and expend the N5 billion loan without the approval of the National Assembly, a Ministerial Tenders Board, and the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The committee insisted that the Nigerian arm of WAEC is obliged by law to render an account of its expenditure since it not only operates within the Nigerian territory but is supported with funds from the Federation Account and funded by monies collected from student applicants of its examination.
However, Dangut, accompanied by officials of his outfit, submitted the WAEC cash book instead of the bank statement of account as demanded by the lawmakers.
Dangut, who was grilled over the propriety of his actions, explained that he is empowered not only by the WAEC board but by the convention establishing WAEC to enter into any deal to achieve the set goals of his outfit.
Dangut, who pleaded with the lawmakers to give him another date to present the statement of account, also explained that he had to pay 50 per cent of the Taraba office contract sum to avoid the astronomical rise in inflation in the country.
The committee thereby gave Dangut a one-week ultimatum to provide the information sought on the issues raised.
