Senate panel asks CBN, FIRS to submit report of audited accounts in seven days

The senate committee on public accounts has asked some ministries and agencies to submit reports of their audited accounts in seven days.

Speaking with journalists at the national assembly on Wednesday, Matthew Urhoghide, chairman of the committee, said some MDAs have failed to provide information on the funds they received from the federation account and how they were spent.

Urhoghide said according to the laws establishing these agencies, they are meant to submit reports of their audited accounts six months into a new financial year.

“I want to tell you that even some organisations that have existed for 20 years do not have audited accounts, even the ones that are fighting corruption, their accounts are not audited,” he said.

“In view of the fact that some agencies have already defaulted in their submission deadline, notice is hereby issued to defaulting MDAs and other organisations of government, without further delay, make submissions within seven days that is, 20th to 27th November, 2019 on their responses to the issues raised by the committee in its various correspondences regarding their income and expenditure operations from 2017 to 2019.”

He said the defaulting agencies are: office of the accountant-general of the federation, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Federal Capital Territory Administration, Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure and Nigerian Investment Promotion Council.

Others are: Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, National Space Research and Development Agency, Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Petroleum Equalization Fund (Management) Board and ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

He also listed the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigeria Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA), and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as defaulters.