*NASS urged to pass Federal Audit Service Bill
By Chesa Chesa
The Civil Society Coalition on Audit in Nigeria (CSCAN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently appoint an Auditor-General for the Federation in order to address the lack of accountability trailing the implementation of federal government policies, particularly in the last three years.
It urged the federal government, particularly the Executive and Legislature, to work collectively towards improving accountability mechanisms for the efficient use of public resources, effective implementation of public policies, and improved quality of life for Nigerians.
The Coalition, comprising over 120 civil society and media organizations in Nigeria, expressed the concern during a press conference titled – “The Poor State of Accountability at the Federal Level in Nigeria” – in Abuja on Friday.
Speaking on behalf of the Coalition, Executive Director at Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), Olusegun Elemo, decried the continued delay in appointing a substantive Auditor-General for the Federation, since last year.
According to him, “what is currently happening at the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation is a clear breach of Constitutional provisions. Section 86(3) of the Constitution is explicit on how the Senate should authorize an individual to act in the Office of the Auditor-General, for not more than six months.
“The position of Auditor-General for the Federation became vacant on September 7, 2022, when Mr. Adolphus Aghughu retired. Since then, a substantive Auditor-General is yet to be appointed.
“Unfortunately, the public official leading the office at the moment is not doing so in an acting capacity but as Director Overseeing — a designation not recognized by the Nigerian Constitution”.
The Country Director at BudgIT Foundation, Gabriel Okeowo, further expressed disappointment over the inability of the 9th Assembly to conclude legislative work on the Audit Service Bill 2022, thereby failing to submit the Bill to former President Muhammadu Buhari for assent before leaving office.
He recalled that the House of Representatives passed the Federal Audit Service Bill 2022 in December 2022, and the Senate gave concurrence on March 29, 2023.
“Still, political interests overrode the nation’s quest for a more potent and effective Supreme Audit Institution. The Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation is not one to be politicized, and the more time it takes us to get an adequate legal framework for the Audit Office, the longer our hope for a renewed Nigeria is deferred.
Also, Friday Odeh, Country Director at Accountability Lab Nigeria, another member of the Coalition, lamented how disappointing it is that, as of August 2023, the reports of the Auditor-General for the Federation for 2020, 2021, and 2022 are yet to be submitted to the National Assembly.
He equally pointed out that the audited accounts of the Central Bank of Nigeria for the last seven years (2016–2022) published by the apex bank on August 10, 2023, “contains information showing a poorly managed institution”.
Odeh stressed that “the oversight wheel of accountability at the federal level seems badly driven. We have no idea how public resources, processes, and policies have been utilized and implemented in 2020, 2021, or 2022. This situation certainly does not reflect the renewed hope of Nigerians for a thriving country.”
To remedy the situation and address these public accountability challenges, CSCAN demanded that President Tinubu should instruct the Federal Civil Service Commission to immediately conclude the recruitment process for the Auditor-General for the Federation, so that he can forward his nominee to the Senate for confirmation.
It further called on the National Assembly to accelerate passage of the Federal Audit Service Bill and forward the Bill to the President for assent.
CSCAN’s demands also include that: “The National Assembly should consider amending S.85(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide the Auditor-General with the power to audit statutory corporations, commissions, authorities, and agencies, including all persons and bodies established by an Act of the National Assembly, to avoid a repeat of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s dilemma.
“The Auditor-General for the Federation should immediately commence implementation of real-time audits of all palliative programmes put in place to cushion the effect of the removal of subsidy on petroleum motor spirit, as well as other social investment programmes.”
The Coalition finally argued that it is always better to checkmate corruption and waste through proper auditing than setting anti-graft agencies in motion after the deed is done, and only little monies or assets, if any can be recovered
