Order Accountant-General to identify culprits
The House of Representatives’ Public Accounts Committee (PAC), yesterday, commenced a full scale investigation into how 115 Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) incurred over N600billion extra-budgetary expenditures on salaries and wages.
This is contained in the audit queries raised by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF) from 2018 till date.
Addressing the opening session of the investigative hearing attended by the acting AuGF, Sylva Okolieaboh and his team, the PAC Chairman, Oluwole Oke, frowned at the admission that some of the expenditures were incurred based on existing circulars and directives.
According to the queries raised in the reports before the Panel, “Audit observed that 203 MDAs exceeded their Personnel Cost budget by N641,757455,172.01 while 115 MDAs had zero personnel cost even though there was budget allocation for them.
“The sources of extra funds for salaries and wages in 103 were not disclosed. Also, the reasons for zero personnel budget allocation for the 115 MDAs were not stated despite the fact that the MDAs under defence had annual budgets approved for them.”
The audit therefore advised that “the office of the Accountant General of the Federation should investigate the sources of the extra budgetary expenditures and reasons for non-compliance with own financial regulations.
It also recommended that failure to justify sources and reasons for “the expenditures totalling N641.75billion, the officers in charge should be held pecuniary responsible.”
The sources of extra funds for salaries and wages in 103 were not disclosed. Also, the reasons for zero personnel budget allocation for the 115 MDAs were not stated despite the fact that the MDAs under defence had annual budgets approved for them.
The Chairman declared that “this is an aberration of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; a clear rape of financial regulations and public procurement Act. Nobody has the power to appropriate any money to any MDAs except the National Assembly through the budget from Mr President, before the passage of Mr President’s Appropriation Bill, it has to pass through stages and after the passage, it has to be returned to Mr President for his assent.
“But we have discovered a situation where some Ministers and heads of MDAs are fond of appropriating funds and approving several millions of naira for spending without such coming to the parliament but relying on circulars and directives. This is illegal and we are going to stop it,” Oke vowed.
He therefore directed the AuGF to make available the list of 115 MDAs involved in the suspicious spending to the Committee today when the investigation resumes.
Oke also said in the spirit of fair hearing, the erring MDAs would be summoned to come and explain their own side of the story as claimed in the audit report.
Earlier, Okolieaboh had expressed appreciation for the lawmakers support since he assumed office, pledging that all invitations from the parliament would receive prompt responses from his office in the national interest.
