By Dipo Olowookere
The N3 billion proposed in the 2018 Appropriation Act presently before the National Assembly for the use of Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has been described as too inadequate.
Speaking yesterday at the budget defence session for the OAGF, Chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC), Mr Matthew Urhoghide, urged the Presidency to prioritize the OAGF so as to act effectively.
Mr Urhoghide described the OAGF as a major instrument in curbing corruption by in the country, especially the public service.
According to him, the 2018 budget proposal of more than N3 billion for the auditor general’s office does not reflect the importance and magnitude of the responsibilities executed by that government department, urging the budget office to review before it would be represented to the committee for consideration.
He pointed that when the office is not adequately funded, it was already designed to fail due to poor motivation of the workforce.
The SPAC Chairman also revealed that many MDAs have not been submitting their annual audited reports; a development he said was largely responsible for the incessant cases of corruption in the country’s public service.
Addressing some of the issues raised by the SPAC, Auditor General of the Federation, Mr Anthony Ayine, confirmed that the office is inadequately funded but they execute their mandate by prioritizing projects line up for each year.
The SPAC is to meet with the Senate committee on Appropriations to present its findings and also seek a review of the auditor general’s 2018 budget to reflect the demands of the office.
