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By Tracy Moses
The House of Representatives has uncovered financial mismanagement involving 31 federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as highlighted in the 2019 and 2020 audit reports submitted by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
The anomalies identified in the reports amount to over ₦103.8 billion and $950,912.05 in unaccounted public funds.
Acting on the findings, the House has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to recover the funds and ensure their return to the federal purse.
This resolution followed a motion moved by Hon. Bamidele Salam on Tuesday, who anchored his submission on the detailed investigation conducted by the House Committee on Public Accounts (PAC).
The audit reports revealed alarming patterns of unauthorized expenditures, disregard for financial regulations, poor internal controls, and lack of accountability across various MDAs. In accordance with the House Standing Orders, lawmakers adopted a robust set of recommendations aimed at enforcing financial discipline and penalizing those involved in fiscal misconduct.
Among the MDAs cited, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was found to have expended ₦124 million and nearly $795,000 on a presidential lodge project at the Nigerian Embassy in Ethiopia without requisite approvals. Other unauthorized disbursements included ₦31.7 million and $155,923, along with ₦49.4 million for renovation works carried out in breach of procurement regulations and ₦9.2 million paid to staff without proper documentation.
The Bank of Agriculture was faulted for failing to recover loans totaling ₦75.6 billion. The committee directed the institution to publish the names of all defaulters in no fewer than three national dailies and tasked anti-graft agencies with retrieving the funds. A separate ₦350 million must also be remitted to the treasury within 90 days.
The Nigeria Correctional Service was cited for failing to remit ₦7.47 million in withholding taxes, while the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) was involved in procurement breaches totaling ₦12 million. NEPZA was also instructed to recover eight official vehicles still in possession of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment.
In Kwali Area Council of the FCT, auditors discovered unauthorized disbursements of ₦82 million to 105 unnamed beneficiaries. The former council chairman has been mandated to retrieve and remit the sum.
The Rural Electrification Agency was flagged for irregular expenditures exceeding ₦1.3 billion. The former Managing Director was ordered to refund ₦394 million spent on contracts not cleared by the agency’s Tenders Board. Another ₦969 million was improperly transferred to a Eurobond ledger, while ₦4.2 million was spent on unauthorized publicity.
The Veterinary Council of Nigeria was indicted for failing to remit ₦1.1 million in stamp duties and over ₦19 million in excess internally generated revenue. Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NCSL) was directed to return over ₦1 billion in funds, which included ₦95 million in unpaid taxes collected between 2012 and 2018. Furthermore, ₦250 million was reportedly diverted by staff and contractors, with ₦700 million in unauthorized advances and debts still outstanding.
The Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc was found to have paid ₦14.4 billion in salaries and allowances without proper authorization. An additional ₦432 million in under-deducted staff entitlements must be recovered. The agency was also flagged for spending ₦91.5 million on ICT procurement without clearance from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
From the 2020 audit report, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources was asked to refund over ₦452 million expended on unapproved cash advances and other questionable transactions. A Toyota Prado vehicle in the custody of a transport officer is also to be retrieved.
The Cross River Basin Development Authority could not present 731 payment vouchers accounting for ₦3.5 billion in expenditures. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was tasked to recover ₦41.4 million in unremitted stamp duties. The EFCC was asked to probe ₦278.8 million in suspicious contingency payments embedded within contract sums, as well as ₦169.1 million paid as compensation for a dam project without clear justification.
The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) was cited for unauthorized foreign travel allowances, prompting a directive to recover ₦27.1 million. Another ₦12.4 million in unpaid VAT was flagged. In Bayelsa State, the Federal Government Girls College in Imiringi was asked to return ₦32.1 million spent on a failed construction project on unsuitable terrain.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy was ordered to refund ₦4.8 million used for an unauthorized international training in South Korea. Meanwhile, the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria spent ₦10.2 million on legal services without appropriate approvals.
In Lagos, the National Centre for Energy Efficiency and Conservation (NCEEC) overpaid a contractor by ₦7.2 million. Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company was instructed to recover ₦188.3 million loaned to a former CEO and associates, ₦63.6 million in company assets, ₦7 million in unremitted stamp duties, and $69.3 million owed by a foreign firm.
The National Film and Video Censors Board was directed to refund ₦20.2 million spent on unauthorized police training and ₦27.2 million for unapproved foreign travels. EFCC investigations were recommended into ₦18.5 million and ₦43.5 million linked to suspected fictitious contracts. The House also asked that further budgetary allocations to the agency be withheld due to its breach of the electronic payment directive.
The Police Service Commission exceeded its approved mobilization limits by ₦110.8 million. The Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiation must return ₦71.9 million from unauthorized virements and provide proof for ₦198.1 million in tax remittances. Additionally, ₦123.7 million and ₦149 million spent on unapproved foreign trips must be refunded.
Also indicted were institutions such as the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Enugu, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Federal Medical Centre Bida, and teaching hospitals in Zaria, Gombe, and Kano — all cited for procurement breaches, tax defaults, and irregular advances.
The Nigeria Police Force ICT Department was found to have spent ₦1.1 billion on projects not cleared by NITDA. The Ministry of Labour and Employment could not account for ₦351 million meant for Geneva Labour Desk activities and additional questionable projects totaling over ₦1.5 billion. The Ministry of Mines and Steel Development was instructed to return ₦16 million lost through improper use of cash advances.
At the University of Uyo, overpayments of ₦36.9 million were made to a contractor. ₦488.1 million worth of unexecuted contracts and ₦60.9 million in vague administrative expenses are now under scrutiny. The school was also asked to refund ₦12 million in irregular allowances and ₦47.7 million in unpaid taxes, and penalized for unauthorized variations amounting to ₦1.02 billion.
The Public Accounts Committee urged the EFCC, ICPC, and FIRS to ensure full recovery and enforcement of fiscal rules. It also recommended a revision of the nation’s Financial Regulations or the issuance of a circular from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) that would permit agency heads to engage external auditors in the absence of boards.
Presiding over the session, Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu commended the Public Accounts Committee for its thorough review. “You are one of our best,” he told Rep. Bamidele Salam, lauding the committee’s role in promoting transparency and accountability.
Rep. Salam, in his remarks, called for swift implementation of the recommendations, lamenting Nigeria’s slow pace in audit processes compared to other African countries. “While Kenya is reviewing the 2023/2024 Auditor-General’s report, we are just grappling with the 2019/2020 cycle. That is unacceptable,” he declared.