Date Published: 08/17/09
BEFORE A NEW AUDITOR GENERAL IS APPOINTED
By Maximus Uba
The world over especially in advanced and developing democracies, the issue of auditing which put in proper parlance is painstaking inspection and verification of accounts of government and business agencies is not a child’s play especially because the task of auditing both in approach and methodology is very complex indeed. Very recently the high office of Auditor – General of the federation headed by Mr. Robert Ejenavi became vacant as the occupant attained the mandatory retirement age of sixty years. And to fill up the vacant stool especially noting the sensitive nature of the office, the Federal Civil Service Commission, an arm of government saddled with matters of appointment, promotion and discipline within the public service of the federation placed an advertisement in some National newspapers on May 12 2009 inviting candidates from both within and outside the civil service system to apply for the top position. The decision of the Federal Civil Service Commission to shop for the right candidate from within and outside the system has again cast the Ambassador Ahmed Al-gazali led commission as one desirous to position the civil service in line with what happens the world over especially because the position of the Auditor General requires that the candidate in question should not just be about one moulded in red tapism and bureaucracy but more of a man of vision, with excellent account managerial ability, discipline and integrity, ingredients the Yar’Adua administration hold very highly. Besides the Auditor General in performance of his duties shall be one responsible for audit of account of all accounting officers and all persons entrusted with collection, receipt, custody and other properties of government and specifically the certification of annual accounts of the federation, therefore only the best can come forward. To show seriousness and the dedication to duty, the commission has after several months of receiving thousands of applications including those from Nigerians Living abroad, conducted transparent painstaking interview, first with the initial set of candidates who met the commissions criteria and thereafter with the best of the two among whom are the Director of Finance of NAFDAC, a government agency that Nigerians hold very dearly due largely to competence and performance. Aside the man from NAFDAC, there is also the Director of Finance from Educational Research and Development Council who too proved of himself worthy of the position. Interestingly the good thing about the two men is that aside from being the best that came forward, the duo were interviewed egg heads from the Nigerian Public system and found to be worthy of the position, what this implies is that they have met more than requirements for the job. Already the commission impressed with their records of performance have forwarded their names to the Presidency for consideration to be appointed as the substantive Auditor – General of the Federation in the coming weeks. Ironically rather than applaud the efforts of the commission, some Nigerians have refused to grow out of ethnic persuasion and sentiments in their bid always to corner unmerited positions. First they say the Federal Civil Service Commission broke civil service rules by throwing open the position via an open advertisement in the dailies and when that could not hold water, they now accuse the commission of deliberately edging out the two directors in the Office of the Auditor – General who in their thinking are the “right people” to take over as Auditor – General and we ask, why didn’t the two audit superstars apply to be freshly tested and has it got to do with the fact that they may not do well in the exercise, and is there any rule which says that subordinates in the system must succeed their bosses for the high office of Auditor – General. The irony of this false and pretentious criticism which more or less is coming from Lagos/Ibadan axis of the press is that these fellows have continued to salute the process that threw up the likes of Barrack Obama where as in this particular case they have queued behind sentiments and ethnicism as against scholarship, and we ask, when will they grow up and face modern realities of the best going for sensitive jobs. But those who think the ethnic jingoist are done with their flawed logic and inability to prove their case in the public domain were shocked to note that these fellows and their sponsors have taken the war of attrition right into the Presidency using their internal network in Aso Rock to ensure that effort of the Al Gazali led Federal Service Commission to get the best to occupy the position of Auditor – General comes to nought. In what appears as a move to give it back to the Chairman and members of the commission for their effrontery to take the public service to the next level as obtained in advanced democracies like USA & Britain, the faceless group want the exercise annulled without reason while a few among them are moving for the sack of Al - Gazali and his commission. But these fellows who are making this brazen move forgot that the action of the chairman and members of the commission in throwing open the position of Auditor – General of the Federation from within and outside the system is actually in line with the pending Auditor Generals’ bill at National Assembly which clearly states that henceforth, the position of Auditor – General shall be advertised openly and no longer through succession, so in effect the Chairman and members of his commission are acting in line with the Law.
As the nation awaits the pronouncement of President Umaru Yar’Adua as to who occupies the high office of Auditor- General in the coming months, one thing Nigerians expect is that the new appointee should be either of the two gentlemen who has met the mental as well as the physical requirement in addition to possessing the necessary qualifications required for the job, that way Nigerian will know that indeed the Presidency is serious about transparency, scholarship and due process away from red -tapism, bureaucracy and ethnic persuasion which has been a hallmark in Nigeria Public Service system. But we ask again, will Yar’Adua do the right thing via respecting the efforts of the Federal Civil Service Commission to choose the best to occupy the office of Auditor – General and will he allow ethnic jingoist to pitch him against the Commission and thus have their way in continual bid to bring Nigeria down? Our take here is let the best be appointed as the Auditor General of the Federation since it is now the norm in most advanced democracies, we need not say more.
Maximus Uba, a journalist Lives in Mbaise.
