Gov Bello orders audit of state-owned tertiary institutions

NIGER State governor, AlhajiAbubakar Sani Bello, has directed a forensic audit of the income and expenditure of all the state-owned institutions of higher learning in the last two years.

He gave the directive at the Government House, Minna, when he received the report of the committee led by Hajiya Dije Bala on the viability of the establishment of a university of education.

The Dije Bala committee had recommended that a visitation panel be constituted to help reduce financial wastage in the affected institutions.

Despite claims of inadequate funding, Hajia Bala had told the governor that her committee was able to establish that the books of the state-owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, in the last three years showed that the institution is financially solvent.

This prompted the governor to direct the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, along with the Ministry of Finance, to carry out a forensic audit of the finances of all the tertiary institutions in the state.

“From your findings, it shows that IBBU can stand on its own; and aside from her internally generated revenue, large chunk of money to be given to the university should be for capital projects.

“If that is the case, I want a forensic audit of all the tertiary institutions. The Ministry of Education and that of Finance should conduct forensic audit of the books of these institutions. We have to be prudent in spending government funds,” the governor said.

In her submission, Hajiya Dije Bala, the chairperson of the committee, has recommended the setting up of visitation panels to all the state owned higher institutions.