Buhari Failed to Act on Audit Reports Meant to Fetch Nigeria Over N1tn, Senate Committee Laments

•New report indicts AGF, NAFDAC, 45 other MDAs over financial infractions

•Directs NIMASA to refund $10m paid for legal fees, technical charges

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) yesterday lamented the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to act on the audit reports submitted to him, which indicted top public servants who had allegedly misappropriated over N1 trillion between 2015 and 2018.

The Vice Chairman of SPAC, Hassan Hadejia, stated this while addressing journalists after the Senate in plenary, approved the 2017 and 2018 of Auditor General of the Federation reports submitted by the SPAC.

The fresh report billed to be transmitted to the President immediately, indicted key government agencies and institutions, of extra-budgetary expenditures.

Hadejia however said the Senate had worked on two bills that would among others, compel the executive arm of government to act on the National Assembly Audit reports.

He said, “The total money misappropriated but which we have been able to identify and traced to certain individuals so far amounted to over N1 trillion. It was supposed to be refunded.

“We have submitted our reports to the executive arm of government but up till now we have not even got an acknowledgement of the report from the executive.

“These are reports that were supposed to be received by the executive and applied immediately because it is not supposed to be subjected to any form of investigation. We had thoroughly investigated it in conjunction with the Auditor General’s office.

“We subjected the queries of the ministries, departments and agencies of government to public hearing.

“The report we submitted is sacrosanct. Nothing to either add or remove. We have been able to identify those who misappropriated government funds and we have also traced where the money is.

“We have recommended that the money be retrieved but up till today, nothing has been done.

“We expect the President to direct the Attorney General for the Federation to act on it but up till now, no action has been taken.”

In the latest report, the Senate indicted the office of Accountant General of the Federation and National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and 45 others Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The indictment was sequel to the reports of 2017 and 2018 of AuGF, which was upheld at the plenary session.

Hadejia said the Committee has been able to submit four reports to the Senate which has never happened since 1999.

He explained that the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 reports of auditor general have been submitted and considered by Senate.

He assured that it’s Committee would submit bill seeking strict implementation of the National Assembly recommendation Annual Federal Audit Reports and for related matters, 2023         (SB.117) by next week, which would enable the country to fight corruption.

The Senate, in the latest report, ordered the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to recover $10 million paid for legal fee and technical charges without results to Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

In the $10 million expected to be recovered was $5 million for legal fee and additional $5 million for technical charges.

The $5 million was said to be the five per cent of the $9.3 billion Nigerian hydro-carbon loss between 2013 and 2014.

The law firm, not disclosed, was expected to carry out necessary legal actions that would enable NIMASA perfect an intelligence- based efforts to track the nation’s hyrdo-carbon global movement.

Part of the query read, “Audit observed that the agency engaged the service of a legal firm through a letter with reference number NIMASA/DG/KP/2014/001, dated 24th January 2014.

“It was for the intelligence based tracking of global movement of Nigerian hydro-carbon and recovery of loss by the federal government of Nigeria in the sum of $9.3 billion between 2013 and 2014, with a start-off cost of $5 million and five per cent of all sums recovered.

“Payment instruction with reference number NIMASA/2007/DFS/WJ/5.500/VOL.11/341 dated April 2014 showed that the firm was paid the sum of $4,523,809.52 (Four million five hundred and twenty-three thousand eight hundred and nine dollar fifty two cents only) net as professional fees.

“The naira equivalent of this amount was N741,904,761.28 at an exchange rate of N164 to a dollar as of that date.

“No evidence of recovery of either part or the entire sum of the $9.3 billion was presented as at the time of the Periodic Check in February 2018, despite the huge amount of money already paid to this effect.”

The Senate therefore sustained the report of the committee which indicted NIMASA.

Other MDAs indicted by the 2017 and 2018 report are Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Environment, National Library, Financial Reporting Council, Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Mortgage Bank, Energy Commission, Nigerian Copyright Commission, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Iron.

Also indicted are the Ministry of Justice , Federal Civil Service Commission, Public Complaint Commission, University of Uyo, University of Abuja, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, National Examination Council (NECO).