Abuja — MOVE by the Senate to get detailed information on how money for the Ecological Fund office was being spent yesterday suffered a major setback as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, shunned senators.

Also invited to the meeting but failed to attend was the Minister of Environment, Mrs Hadiza Mailafia.

Only the Permanent Secretary, Ecological Fund Office, Goni Musa Sheikh, honoured the invitation of the Senate Committee on Special Duties.

The Committee on Special Duties, led by Senator Clever Ikisikpo, PDP, Bayelsa East, had invited the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Minister of Environment and Permanent Secretary, Ecological Fund Office, for an interactive session to explain how money voted to the Fund was being spent.

The senators, having waited for the government officials to honour the invitation but failed to appear, had to shift it to another day, with a warning that this will be the last time the Senate will accept such behaviour from government officials.

Besides chairman of the committee, other senators who waited in vain for Anyim and others were Senators Victor Lar; Aisha Jummai Alhassan; Robert Borrofice, Solomon Ita Enang, among others.

Angry Senator Ikisikpo, who noted that the meeting was designed for them to give expected information on the Fund, said 3% of the federation account was allocated to the Ecological Fund Office, stressing that the National Assembly must be told how much got into the account and how it was being spent.

He said the absence of the officials was an indication of total disregard for the Senate which must stop henceforth.