Speaker Abbas demands probe of take-off grants, others in MDAs

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas said the ongoing investigation into the utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and other interventions by federal government institutions was aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s public finance system.

Represented by Majority Leader of the House, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, at the opening of the investigative hearing, Abbas said the House has full confidence in the Special Committee’s ability to uncover the truth and ensure that public resources are used for intended purposes.

“Our overall goal is to promote good governance, optimise public resource utilisation, enhance accountability in government business, and strengthen our democracy,” the Speaker said.

The commitee was constituted on March 6, 2025 following a motion of urgent public importance by Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, who expressed concerns over persistent allegations of mismanagement and diversion of billions of naira allocated over the years as take-off grants and bailout funds to government-owned institutions.

“It is worrying that these interventions may have failed to achieve their intended impact due to corruption and inefficiency. That failure undermines national development goals,” Chinda had said.

The Committee, chaired by Chinedu Martins (PDP, Imo), began its hearing on Thursday with appearances from several government institutions, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Federal Ministry of Health, among others.