By Chris Udochukwu
Abuja (Precise Post) – The Senate Public Accounts Committee Thursday blasted the Auditor General of the Federation saying that the negligence of duty on the part of Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (OAGoF) led to the prevailing corruption in Nigeria.
The committee which bemoaned the below expectations implementation of 2020 budget despite the release of the fund, frowned at a situation where the N37milion given for the renovation of the audit house in Abuja has not been utilised for the purpose.
The Senate Committee Chairman on public Accounts, Senator Matthew Urhoghide told the representative of the office of the Auditor General of the Federation at the on going budget defence at the National Assembly that” if there has been audit for money value in regard to projects in Nigeria, the corruption would have been nipped on the bud.
He said if the Auditor General’s office follows contracts and contractors and raises alarm immediately it is discovered that level of work executed falls short of money claimed to have gone into the project, instead of waiting and watching contractors to squander money without executing the job and then another money would be allocated to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to fight corruption. Why do you wait for corruption to be consummated before they act, the committee asked.
The committee said that the Audit office is not working and warned that nothing says that the position of the Auditor General of the Federation cannot be advertised for people from within and outside to apply for replacement if the occupier of the office is not performing.
The committee warned that the in-fighting within them should stop and money allocated for specific things be carried out.
The senate committee gave the (OAGoF) upto next week to go and pay all debts and capture all the items left uncaptured and report back to the committee.
Details later..
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