The House of Representatives has directed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to urgently appoint a substantive Auditor-General for the area councils in accordance with the provisions of the law.
The resolution was passed during a session of the Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, where lawmakers observed that the absence of a substantive Auditor-General had stalled the signing and transmission of audited financial reports as required by the constitution.
During the session, the Acting Auditor-General for the Area Councils, Abdullahi Ibn Salihu, made a presentation before the committee. However, the committee chairman, Bamidele Salam, pointed out that the issue required urgent intervention.
“Colleagues, I think we should also step into this. When we resumed in October 2023, the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation was vacant for about two years.
“The former President, Muhammadu Buhari, refused to make an appointment. And so, audit reports were not submitted. When we came in, myself and the Senate counterpart decided to write letters to the President and make some advocacy, which led to the appointment of a substantive Auditor-General,” Salam stated.
He added that if the same situation persists in the FCT, the House must step in and call on the minister to explain the delay in making the appointment.
A motion calling for Wike’s intervention was moved by Obordor Mitema and seconded by Usman Bala. The motion was unanimously adopted by members of the committee.
Audit Infractions Identified
While responding to inquiries about the financial reports of the area councils, Abdullahi Ibn Salihu explained that most of the infractions noted were committed by previous administrations, as he has only been in acting capacity for six months.
Some of the identified infractions include non-submission of audited financial reports for 2023-2024, non-remittance of pension deductions to the Pension Commission (PENCOM) and failure to submit available audit reports to the committee.
Lawmaker Billy Osawaru called on the committee to enforce the full weight of the law on the Office of the Auditor-General, insisting that such lapses should no longer be tolerated.
“This kind of financial recklessness must not be allowed to continue. The laws guiding financial audits must be strictly adhered to,” Osawaru stated.
To thoroughly investigate the issues, the committee established a five-member sub-committee, chaired by Tochukwu Okere, to examine the infractions and make recommendations.
Other members of the sub-committee include Ajiya Abdulrahman, Mandara Usman, Mauruff Adebayo and Mohammed Bargaja.
