The House of Representatives on Tuesday threatened to delist all non-Treasury Agencies from the annual budget for failing to submit audited accounts to the office of Auditor General of the Federation (oAuGF) as in breach of section 85 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Abdullahi Abdulkadir and 40 others, who frowned at the continuous disregard for the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) by some of the agencies.
Hon. Abdulkadir argued that the refusal of the agencies has prevented the Auditor General of the Federation from submitting comprehensive audit report annually to the National Assembly, adding that most of the defaulting Agencies are being subjected to forensic audit as a result of massive corruption.
According to him, since 2014, Audit report submitted by the Auditor General has excluded reports from these non-Treasury funded agencies because they have refused to submit their books for audit.
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He said it was disheartening that agencies created by the National Assembly have decided to abuse the laws setting them up, adding that by the laws of the land all agencies of government are supposed to make their books of account available for audit to the Auditor General of the federation.
He said since 2014 many of the non-treasury funded agencies have refused to submit their books for audit thereby preventing the National Assembly from carrying out its constitutional mandate as required by law since the Auditor General is supposed to submit an audited report to the lawmakers for necessary action.
He argued that it was because these agencies failed to submit their accounts to the Auditor General for Audit that many of them are being subjected to forensic audit as a result of massive corruption.
He expressed concern that such habit which has characterised several no treasury funded agencies has impacted negatively on the finances of the country, especially at a time when the country was going through a financial crisis.
According to him: “If we are unable to investigate these allegations, the anti-corruption war will be sabotaged and compromised and asked the House to mandate its relevant committee to investigate the allegations.”
To this end, the House directed the House Committee on Public Accounts to investigate such agencies with a view to bringing erring ones to book and forestalling future occurrence.
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