The House of Representatives Committee on FCT Area Councils will question the six Area Council Chairmen in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) next week about how they’ve been spending public funds. This comes after the chairmen ignored several invitations to appear before the Committee.
During a hearing on Tuesday, the Committee Chairman, Frederick Agbedi, expressed frustration over their absence. He said their actions show disrespect to the parliament but emphasized that the goal is accountability, not targeting anyone unfairly.
The Minister of State for FCT, Mariya Mahmud, who attended the hearing, apologized for missing earlier invitations and promised better cooperation going forward. Similarly, the Kwali Area Council Chairman, Danladi Chia, apologized on behalf of all the chairmen and pledged their support for the investigation.
The hearings are scheduled to start with Abaji Area Council on July 23, 2024, followed by Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, and AMAC, ending on August 1, 2024. All sessions will begin at 1 PM.
The Committee postponed this week’s hearing due to the passing of a House member, Ekene Adams, from Kaduna State. It had previously threatened to stop budget allocations to the FCT if the chairmen and relevant agencies continued to ignore its summons.
