Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Council of Legal Education has faulted media reports that the school approved the payment of N32 million to an unnamed cleaner over a period of 12 months and N36 million as dressing allowance against Nigeria extant laws.
While describing the report as misleading, the Secretary of the Council and Director of Administration, Mrs E Max-Uba, said the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, was wrongly quoted by the media.
In a statement on Tuesday, Max-Uba said the Director-General was misquoted when he appeared at a public hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts (SPAC), in connection with the annual report of the Auditor-General of the Federation on the Accounts of various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government of Nigeria for the year ended 31st December 2015.
There were reports that the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation queried the payment of N36 million as dressing allowance and the payment of N32 million to an unnamed cleaner over a period of 12 months against Nigeria extant laws.
The institution admitted that queries were raised from the office of the AGF but also said explanations were equally made about how the funds were spent without the violations of extant laws.
Mrs Max-Uba said in the statement: ‘The Council of Legal Education traditionally has a dress code for its staff and students as part of its work ethics. ln furtherance of this tradition, the Council approved a Scheme and Condition of Service on March 10, 2009 that provides in part, the payment of 10% dressing allowance to its Staff.
‘The payments were made into the individual bank accounts of staff and not a single person as erroneously reported.
‘The erstwhile Nigerian Law School Pension Board of Trustees has since been dissolved in line with circular from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and it assets and liabilities by transferred to the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, PTAD.
‘The Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation raised queries on the account of the Council of Legal Education for the year ended 31st December 2013 and explanations were made to the Senate Committee on Public Accounts but the proceedings misrepresented and sectionalised.’
She assured Nigerians that there is no fraud in the Nigerian Law School and also said the school will also appear before the Senate this week to make further explanations on other queries.
Source: www.sunnewsonline.com
