The Senate is currently investigating 774 federal government agencies over alleged financial improprieties in queries raised against them in the 2019 report of the Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF).
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The chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC), Senator Aliyu Wadada (SDP-Nasarawa West), disclosed this on Friday, April 12, in his country home in Keffi, Nasarawa state, while responding to questions from journalists.
Wadada said while the panel is determined to discharge its responsibilities diligently in the best interest of the country, it is not out to victimise anyone.
He said that the 10th National Assembly with the support of President Bola Tinubu and critical stakeholders in the nation’s economy would soon embark on the amendment to the 2007 Procurement Act to block loopholes of financial infractions before they take place.
He nevertheless appealed to heads of government agencies at the federal, state and local government levels to embrace the spirit of self-discipline and fear of God in the discharge of their responsibilities.
The Senator, representing Nasarawa West said no matter how beautiful a law is, it would take godly citizens to implement it.
Wadada said: “When I became the chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC), I was emphatic on the need for President Bola Tinubu to appoint the substantive Auditor General for the Federation (AuGF).
“I even wrote a letter to that effect to the President and he responded by appointing a substantive Auditor General for the Federation (AuGF).
“The AuGF report for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years were not all ready. It was only the 2019 Auditor General’s report that was then ready for us to take action on.
“The Auditor General’s report for 2020 was ready at the time I became the Senate Public Account Committee but it could not be signed by the acting Auditor General for the Federation.
“As we talk, the 2020 Auditor General’s report is ready and the substantive AuGF has appended his signature to it.
“The development is a confirmation that the Presidency under the stewardship of President Bola Tinubu is available, responsive and supportive of the committee on public accounts in the two chambers of the National Assembly.
“We have since started work on the 2019 Auditor General’s report before us.
“Under my chairmanship of this sensitive and strategic committee, I have repeatedly said it that we are not out to witch-hunt or pull down anybody.
“Our ultimate objective vis-a-vis the primary focus of the committee is to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
“All we are out for, is to identify what went wrong in the past, how they went wrong. Going forward, what measures do we take to forestall their reoccurrence? That’s all.
“I have been quiet about the activities of the committee because the sensitive nature of our assignment does not permit us to be talking anyhow.
“If we talk about or say everything we see in the reports of the Auditor General, we might end up setting the citizens against the government.
“So many things are wrong, not only because of corruption per se, some are systemic in nature.
“What we have in most cases is garbage in and garbage out. If financial reports are not well documented to produce the required results in an audit that means something would go wrong.
“We are seriously working on the assignment before us. So far, some level of achievements have been recorded and we are still engaging with heads of ministries, departments and agencies of the federal government.
“They are still appearing before our committee to answer the queries they have against them as far as the 2019 Auditor General’s report is concerned. That’s the situation at the moment.
“There are also, status enquiries where we are looking into the financial transactions of revenue generating agencies like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), among others which are before us for scrutiny.
“We are currently looking into the books of 774 MDAs to see what was appropriated to them and check whether they judiciously utilized the funds.
“As events unfold, we shall be compiling our reports on a quarterly basis and we would be making them public after their adoption by the Senate in plenary.”
On the 2007 Procurement Act, Wadada said: “Everything in life is dynamic. Changes happen every day and as human beings, we have to be dynamic and live with changes.
“If we look at the Procurement Act, vis-a-vis what obtains in the current economic reality, an amendment is imperative and the 10th Senate is committed to doing the needful on the legislation.
“However, it is not just amending the Act that would reduce the corruption that is endemic in the system.
“We need to imbibe the spirit of self-discipline as leaders. As religious as we are in Nigeria, permit me to say that many people are ungodly.
“That is why the level of corruption in the system is so high. Otherwise, how much money do we really need to live a good life?
“We should have the fear of God in our mind while discharging our official responsibilities.
“The human mind is corrupt but with the fear of God, we would shun materialistic tendencies.
“The founding fathers of our country and our early leaders did the best they could to establish institutions that provided jobs for millions of young people and made the nation, productive.”
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