Unaudited Accounts: ‘I was abducted, couldn’t render audited accounts’, CMD tells Reps

It was laughing galore on Wednesday as the Chief Medical Director (CMD), of the Federal Specialist Hospital, Irrua in Edo State, Dr. Sylvanus Okogbenin, on Wednesday told the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee that he couldn’t prepare the hospital’s audited accounts for submission the Auditor General of the Federation as he was abducted by gunmen.

The CMD which appeared before the Committee Chaired by Rep Wole Oke during its resumed hearing on the allegation of “deliberate refusal of non-Treasury Funded and Partially Funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies to render Audited Accounts to the office of the Auditor General of the Federation, could not provide answers expected by the lawmakers.

The panel had placed the hospital management on the hot seat, asking questions bordering on alleged financial infractions arising from its failure to render accounts between 2014 and 2019.

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However, the CMD who blamed kidnappers for his inability to act accordingly also blamed the refusal of the external auditors to complete and submit their audited reports for the delay in submission.

In his ruling, the committee chairman, Rep Oke, declared that the conduct of the specialist hospital was in breach of the country’s constitution and such was not acceptable to the Parliament

The committee also summoned the external auditor to come forward to state his own side of the story before it at the subsequent hearing so as to assistant the coming to its investigation.

Similarly, the panel also uncovered what it called “gross violations and constitutional breach through failure to remit audited Accounts for multiple years” by the Anambra-Imo River Basin Authority.

The Committee had earlier invited past Managing Directors of the River Basin Authority from 2014 to 2019 to give Accounts of their stewardship via their Audited Accounts.

During cross-examination by the panel on the invited MDs, it was discovered that most of them despite occupying the office for many years did not see the need to ensure a proper audited report was sent to the Auditor General’s office.

The assertion by the panel was further corroborated by the officials from the Auditor General’s office who accused the River Basin Authority of gross violation and breach of constitutional provisions, as well as a violation of the public service rules.