The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has expressed frustration over the refusal of certain federal ministries, departments, and agencies to provide explanations regarding the financial discrepancies highlighted in the 2019 audit report.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, the Committee Chairman, Aliyu Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa West), revealed that despite multiple efforts, these agencies have failed to clarify the issues raised.
Among the agencies named are the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Police Force, and Nigeria Immigration Service. Other agencies include the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Nigeria Mining Cadastral Office, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment, FCT Internal Revenue, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Defence, and Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited.
Mr. Wadada emphasized that if these agencies continue to ignore the committee’s invitations, it will be presumed that they are guilty of the infractions noted in the audit report.
He stated, “Given this, the Senate Public Accounts Committee has resolved that going forward, we will consider the audit queries as stated in the Auditor-General’s Annual Report. Any ministry, department, or agency that fails to respond to our invitations will have the Auditor’s position adopted by the Committee.”
He also mentioned that this resolution will become a part of their standard procedures if the agencies do not improve their responsiveness.
Displeasure with Agencies’ Conduct
The committee chairman voiced his dissatisfaction with the agencies’ reluctance to attend to the parliamentary invitations. Despite multiple opportunities to present their defense, these agencies have chosen to disregard the calls, which Mr. Wadada found unacceptable.
“The committee is very displeased with the attitude of foot-dragging by agencies that are legally required to respond to parliamentary invitations and account for their actions,” Mr. Wadada remarked.
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