By Kassim Omomia
The House of Represtatives is to probe the Salaries, Income and Wages Commission for declining to render accounts to the office of the Auditor General of the Federation since its inception 28 years ago
The House Committee on Public Accounts made the revelation at the ongoing investigative hearing into the activities of Ministries, Department and Agencies of the Federal Government as well as private outfits by the Committee .
Represented by Mrs Maryam Ibrahim, the Auditor General of the Federation, had told the Committee that the office of the AUGF had no record of the audited account of the Commission during appearance of the Commission led by the Acting Chairman, Mr Ekpo Nta
Nta confessed that “external auditors are supposed to audit them and that they have no records of their audited accounts with them
Asked to react to the submission of the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the head of the agency, said that the Commission was an extra-ministerial Department that the Auditor-General’s office auditd.
He further explained that all the audited accounts of the Commission were domiciled at the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
However, the Committee Chairman and other members expressed surprise at the submission of the agency which differs from information before the committee, which vowed to get to the root , via a probe
Meanwhile, the DG had said , he noticed the anomaly but because they were understaffed, they couldn’t do much
He said , “Incidentally the Commission is audited 100 percent by the office of the Auditor General and that of the Budget Office in collaboration with the Accountant General’s office and the audit depart of the office of the SGF
“We do not have external auditors. As a matter of fact, they used to post staff to audit the place until 2018. So all our rendition and processes are domiciled with the office of the Auditor General of the Federation”.
Nevertheless,the Committee, summoned the Secretary to the State Government, SGF, Head of Service of the Federation, Director General Budget Office, the Accountant General of the Federation, Auditor General and the Acting Chairman, to appear before it .
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