The House of Representatives Public Account Committee (PAC) has moved its proceedings from the age long manual system to an electronic system.
The new electronic platform which enables live streaming of the activities of the committee was unveiled at the National Assembly Complex on Thursday in Abuja.
The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said the digital platform would go a long way in changing the narrative and would also ensure public funds were properly accounted for.
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Saraki, who was represented by the Deputy Chairman of Senate PAC, Sen. Kola Dada, commended the committee for the noble idea which had now come to a reality.
He said that PAC was one of the most important committees in the national assembly and was the only one recognised by the constitution.
He said as politicians, there was always the tendency to sit tight on the old ways of doing things, but the committee Chairman and members had risen above that.
The senate president however said that so much attention had been focused on politics rather than the core functions of the parliament.
The Speaker of the house, Mr Yakubu Dogara, congratulated the members of the 8th House of Representatives PAC, for the digitalisation of proceedings in the Nigerian parliament.
Represented by the Deputy Leader, Rep. Idris Wase (APC-Plateau), Dogara said that the committee had taken a giant stride and that it would impart positively in the fight against corruption.
The speaker said that members of the committee had written their names in gold as the new platform would go a long way to eradicate bulk work associated with hard copies.
He said that the electronic system would maximise time, improve communication and enhance efficiency.
The speaker said that the initiative had removed the challenge of lack of adequate space in the complex to accommodate voluminous documents.
He said that the electronic system would ensure accountability and probity as well as reduce wastage in the public sector as it had opened a new horizon in auditing.
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Earlier at the inauguration of the committee, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on PAC, Rep. Kingsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers), said there was a backlog of reports from 1999 with over 2000 audit queries.
He said PAC was to look into the queries and depending on the magnitude of the offence, recommend punishments, recovery of asset/monies or referral of such queries to the anti-graft agencies.
Chinda said that the job of the committee became daunting due to lack of funds and modern tools which led to improper documentation and articulation, among others.
In a bid to address the changes, the chairman said that PAC sought for external technical support and technological innovation that would enable improved communication and electronic documentation.
He said the committee also embarked on intensive capacity building for members and staff of the committee.
Chinda thanked the development partners that supported the electronic platform and commended the leadership of the house for the support given to the committee. (NAN)