SDG: Reps c’ttee absolves Orelope-Adefulire of financial impropriety

The House of Representatives Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has denied indicting the Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire of financial impropriety in respect of the 2020 budget.

Chairman of the House Committee on SDGs, Rep. Rotimi Agunsoye, who made the clarification in a statement on Friday, debunked media reports that the committee had directed the finance ministry to withhold the release of funds to the SDGs office for failing to provide details of N33 billion captured in its budget.

Setting the records straight, Rep. Agunsoye stated that the House Committee didn’t indict the presidential aide or accused her of misappropriating budgetary allocation to her office, but only wrote the finance ministry seeking clarification about the SDGs budget.

“The House Committee on SDGs got records from the office of the senior special assistant to the President on SDGs and the House Appropriation Committee which showed the said additional N33 billion was not appropriated for the SDGs office among provisions of the 2020 budget earlier assented to by Mr. President upon which we all know the prevalence of COVID-19 distorted implementation of the entire 2020 budget.

“The legislature is determined to ensure adequate oversight of all appropriated funds for the implementation of SDGs programmes in all ministries and agencies of government as soon as we get adequate correspondence from the House Appropriation Committee to further ascertain funds released in order to guide our oversight activities.

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“Hence, the recent official correspondence from both Senate and House SDGs committees to the finance ministry to release the budget provisions of SDGs office, so as to enable our committee to oversight accordingly.

“This clarification became imperative to avoid any misrepresentation of the earlier correspondence between the National Assembly committees on SDGs and finance ministry as any financial indictment on the person and office of the senior special assistant to the President on SDGs,” Rep. Agunsoye asserted.