*Organises workshop for senior auditors
By Chesa Chesa
Public finance accountability advocacy group, Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), on Monday in Abuja commissioned Performance Audit Manuals, and organised a Workshop on Performance Auditing for Subnational Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs).
The Manuals were painstakingly prepared for five States – Anambra Delta, Ekiti, Kaduna and Yobe – and presented to their respective Auditors-General who were at the opening of the workshop.
In his remarks on the occasion, Executive Director of PLSI, Olusegun Elemo, commended the five States for their eagerness and support in getting the manuals prepared since the project started in November 2022, and their participation at the workshop, which showed their willingness to improve the auditing their processes.
He also thanked the MacArthur Foundation for supporting the idea to fortify audit practices and leverage public audit information and instruments to tackle public sector corruption, reinforce accountability and enhance service delivery to underserved groups at subnational level.
Underscoring the need to strengthen public audit practices and accountability at the state level in Nigeria, Elemo noted that “performance auditing is at the heart sustainable development and without it, we cannot turn around the development deficit being seen and experienced at the state level in Nigeria.
“As we commission these manuals today and undergo the capacity strengthening sessions over the next five days, it will be good to have our eyes and minds fixed on the objective which is to deploy these capacities and utilize these manuals to deliver good governance and sustainable development for the people in your respective states.”
In his keynote address, Director of Audit Overseeing the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation, Dr. Andrew Onwudili, stressed that oublic accountability is the cornerstone of a well-functioning democracy.
In the address delivered by his representative, Stephen Nwamah, the Director pointed out that “it is the responsibility of public officials to ensure that they are transparent, responsible, and accountable for the decisions they make and the actions they take.
“Performance Audit plays a vital role in holding these officials accountable by assessing the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of their performance.”
He further stated that performance auditing provides an objective and independent evaluation of government programmes, projects, and activities.
According to him, “it examines whether the intended goals and objectives have been achieved, and if not, it identifies the reasons and suggests improvement.
“By conducting thorough and objective assessments, performance auditing helps identify inefficiencies, wastages, and areas for improvement in service delivery.”
He gave a caveat that “for performance auditing to be effective, it requires strong institutional frameworks, competent auditors, and a supportive environment. It is essential to invest in the capacity building of auditors, provide them with the necessary resources, and ensure their independence and autonomy.
“Additionally, there must be a culture of transparency, accountability, and responsiveness within the government to ensure the implementation of audit recommendations and the continuous improvement of service delivery.”
Onwudili concluded that “by investing in performance auditing and embracing its findings and recommendations, we can build a more accountable, transparent, and efficient government that delivers high-quality services to its citizens.”
The five-day workshop is being attended by senior staff members of the office of Auditors-General of the five participating States.
