October 17, (THEWILL) – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has asked President Bola Tinubu to appoint a substantive Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF), saying the office is too important to be left in the hands of an Overseeing director.
Abbas spoke on Monday, at the unveiling and leadership training of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives in Abuja.
Represented by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, the Speaker said the work of the public accounts committee is complemented by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation.
“It is in this light that the Auditor-General’s Office needs to be occupied. The appointment should be in place because it is a requirement of the Constitution. We cannot afford to have an Overseeing director in charge of the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation.
“We call on Mr. President to either confirm the person who is there or appoint any other qualified person to immediately take over the office to sign reports.
“The PAC is one of the most important committees of the House and its importance is underscored by its express creation by Section 85 (5) of the 1999 Constitution as Amended.
“This section states that ‘the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly shall examine the audited accounts of the Government, showing the appropriation of the sums granted by the House to meet the public expenditure, and any report made by the Auditor-General of the Federation concerning such accounts.’
“In the 10th Assembly, the PAC is committed to deepening its engagement with the Executive Arm of Government to ensure that Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government uphold the principles of accountability, transparency, and prudence in the management of public finance.
“The PAC is also committed to strengthening the office of the Auditor General of the Federation in line with best global practices. The recent passage of the Federal Audit Bill to repeal the 1956 Audit Ordinance is in line with this commitment,” he said.
Earlier, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Bamidele Salami, said his leadership will ensure compliance of MDAs with the provisions of the Appropriation Act, Financial Regulations 2009, Public Procurement Act, 2007, Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, Allocation of Revenue (Federation Account Act, CAP A15, Laws of the Federation, 2004) as well as Finance (Control and Management Act, CAP. F.26 Laws of the Federation, 2004) and other extant financial laws.
Salami, who promised regular capacity-building training and workshops for the staff of the PAC and an improved welfare scheme for the staff, assured that the Committee, under his leadership, would guarantee value for money on all Federal Government expenditures through regular oversight functions and project audit visitation.
