- The Senate criticised Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and 14 others for refusing to answer audit queries
- Senator Wadada, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, expressed that the agency's actions are counterproductive to Tinubu’s goal
- The Senate also noted that agencies that default would face penalty going forward
The Senate has criticised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Nigeria Police Force, and 12 other entities for their ongoing refusal to answer queries from the 2019 audit report.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, August 13, in Abuja, Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa West), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, disclosed the committee's displeasure over the continued refusal of agency heads to respond to the 2019 audit report's questions after several opportunities were provided.
Senate condemned agencies that ignored audit queries
He said, “It is worthy to state that the committee commenced the consideration of the audit report in October 2023, with a view to presenting its report to plenary.
“However, some agencies have wilfully failed to honour invitations to defend their written responses to the audit queries as submitted to the committee secretariat.”
“The committee is very displeased with the attitude of foot-dragging by agencies, who are by law, expected to respond to parliamentary invitations and account for their actions.”
15 agencies disregarded Senate committee’s invitations
Wadada pointed out that besides NNPCL, FIRS, and the Police, other heads of agencies that habitually ignore committee invitations include the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (previously DPR), and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment.
This pattern is also seen in the FCT Internal Revenue Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Defence, and Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited.
“Beside the demand for submission of written responses to audit queries, part of the committee’s rules of engagement requires that accounting officers attend the committee’s public hearing to respond to questions arising from the analysis of their submissions which in turn, forms a basis for informed decision on the matter by the committee,” Wadada stated.
Agencies’ actions are counterproductive to Tinubu’s goal - Wakada
He expressed that the actions of the public agencies were aggravating and counterproductive to the aspirations and goals set by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“The committee has, over time, extended invitations to those agencies, providing them ample opportunities to defend their queries but for reasons best known to them, these agencies have chosen to disregard invitations.
“The desire of the public accounts committee to timely discharge its constitutional and legislative function is by the evasive and negative actions of some CEOs or accounting officers of the concerned MDAs.”
Agencies that default would be penalised
He noted that in the future, any agency that neglects to appear for its scheduled hearing to address its issues will have its queries upheld and reported to the Senate plenary by the committee.
“It is on this note that we as a committee, have resolved that going forward, the Senate public accounts committee will go ahead to consider their audit queries as contained in the auditor-general’s annual report and any MDA that, henceforth, fails to honour invitations to respond and present its defense, the committee will adopt the position of the auditor.
“Also, this resolution would be added to our rules of engagement if MDAs fail to improve on their attendance to our invitations,” Wakada added.
Tinubu approves 300% salary increase for judicial officers at federal and state levels
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the National Assembly enacted a 300% salary increase for judicial officers at both the federal and state levels.
Following this, the President's Special Adviser on Senate Matters, disclosed that Tinubu had approved into law the Judicial Office Holders Salaries.