Senate Confirms Appointments of AuGF, Seven RECs

•National Assembly pledges adequate funding for auditor general’s office

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate yesterday confirmed the appointment of Mr. Shaakaa Chira as the Auditor General for the Federation (AuGF).

Chira’s confirmation was sequel to his screening at the Committee of the whole, where he expressed the fears that poor funding of the office could hinder his performance.

The AuGF noted with concern that the 2023 budgetary provision for the office was a meagre N62 million which was grossly inadequate to effectively carry out the agency’s activities.

He said, “The major challenge that can hinder our performance is poor funding. For instance, only N62 million was allocated to the office as capital expenditure in the 2023 Budget.

“I urge the National Assembly to help us look into the matter to enable us to effectively fight corruption before it’s manifestation.”

The Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who was the chairman of the Appropriation Committee in the 9th Senate, however blamed the development on the executive arm of government.

Barau said, “The challenge of the poor funding of the Auditor General’s Office comes from the executive arm of government and I don’t know why it was so.

“I was equally surprised in the last assembly when I discovered that only N62 million was allocated to the Auditor General’s Office as capital vote for the 2023 fiscal year.

“I think the National Assembly now has the responsibility of finding out why the past administrations were depriving the office of adequate funding.”

Reacting to his deputy’s submission, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the plenary, bemoaned the poor funding of the AuGF office and expressed the confidence that the current administration would change the situation.

Akpabio said, “This is a corrective regime and we would do the needful. The National Assembly has the responsibility to keep the Auditor General’s Office alive.

“We should ensure that finance they needed to function effectively are released to them if we are truly committed to accountability, transparency and anti-corruption wars.”

Also at plenary on Wednesday, the Senate confirmed the appointment of seven out of the 10 nominees appointed by President Bola Tinubu as Resident Electoral Commissioners.

Their confirmation was sequel to the consideration of the request of President Bola Tinubu, as presented by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.

He explained that the confirmation of the nominees was in accordance with the Provisions of sections 154(1) of the 1999 constitution.

The nominees answered questions relating to their roles in INEC and the nation at large.

Those confirmed were Mr. Etekarnba Umoren from Akwa-Ibom State; Mr. Isah  Ehimeakne (Edo State);  Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola (Ekiti State), and Mr. Abubakar Ahmed Mai‘aii, (Gombe State).

Others included were Mr. shehu Wahab from Kwara State; Mr. Aminu Kasimi Idris (Nasarawa State); and Mohammed Abubakar Sadiq (Niger State).

The Senate President urged them to bring their experience to bear in the discharge of their duties.

No reason was given by the Senate for not inviting the three other nominees for the exercise.

The appointment of some them were greeted with controversies following allegations that some of them could be card-carrying members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Some of them were also found to be long-term allies of prominent politicians serving in the Tinubu administration.