Speaker Dogara

The House of Representatives on Thursday mandated its Committee on Lake Chad to investigate the five million dollars granted to the Lake Chad Basin Commission by the previous administration.

The committee was directed to investigate the grant meant for feasibility studies on how to divert rivers to the Lake and report back to the House within eight weeks for further legislative action.

The directive was sequel to a motion by Rep. Ahmed Abu (Niger-APC), which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote.

Moving the motion, Abu said government had given maximum support to the commission to ensure the discharge of its mandate.

According to him, percentage contribution by Nigeria towards the commission’s annual budget is 40 per cent.

He explained that 18 per cent was contributed by Libya, 20 per cent by Cameroon, seven per cent by Niger, 11 per cent by Chad and 4 per cent by Central African Republic.

Abu, expressed concern that the transaction of such magnitude paid for with tax payers’ money had not been given the due attention it deserved by way of follow up.

“The environmental audit report on the drying up of Lake Chad given by the Auditor General of the Federation in October did not take into account the report of the feasibility studies’’, he said