N9b debt: MDAs to lose monthly overheads, says HoS

Head of Service of the Federation (HoS), Ms. Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, has said that government institutions indebted to the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) risk having a chunk of their overhead expenditure deducted from the first line charge, should they fail to settle their outstanding debts to the Board.

The Head of Service gave this assurance when the Chairman, Ministerial Task Team on the recovery of N9 billion owed the Abuja Environmental Protection Board AEPB, Baba Shehu Lawan led members of the Task Team to her office in Abuja, Friday.

According to her, these MDAs have no business owing the AEPB as these expenses ought to have been fully catered for in their annual overhead budgetary expenditures. Ms. Oyo-Ita, who disclosed that her office has similar understanding with the PHCN or the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company to deduct at first line charge all indebtedness by government institutions to the company, said it would have no option than to write the budget office to authorise this arrangement, should these MDAs fail to defray their indebtedness to the AEPB.

Her words: “We want to convey a very strong message to all the MDAs under the office of Head of Service that is the Ministries and various Parastatals that if efforts are not made to clear these debts by the next overhead allocation, we will have no option than to ask the budget office to make deductions at first charge.”