By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts (SPAC) approved the 2025 budgetary proposal for the Office of Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF).
The Committee, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed (SDP Nasarawa West), asked the Auditor General for the Federation, Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira, on Tuesday this week to clear grey areas observed in the budgetary proposals when they were first presented to the committee.
Specifically, the Auditor-General was asked to represent the 2025 budget by the Senate Committee before it would approve its 2025 budget.
In line with the directive, the Auditor-General presented the budgetary proposal to the committee yesterday and received express approval.
However, he informed the committee that the office’s understaffing problem has yet to be fully addressed, which led to the request to recruit 247 new staff.
In his remarks, the committee chairman said, “The grey areas observed in the 2025 budget proposal presented by the Office of Auditor General of the Federation on Tuesday this week have been addressed and cleared, as seen in the one presented today.”
Accordingly, he said, “This committee has resolved to approve the budget for onward submission to the appropriation committee.”
He said, “The Auditor-General is, more or less, a member of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts and, by extension, that of the House of Representatives, whose budget should be given the required attention it deserves.
“Your budget has been passed for now, but please avoid the re-occurrence of grey areas earlier observed because your office is very strategic and sensitive.”
In his response, the Auditor-General commended the committee for reconsidering and approving his office’s 2025 budgetary proposal.
He said the budgetary proposal, when finally passed by the National Assembly, will help the office perform better in the new fiscal year. Yesterday, the budgetary proposal presentation to the committee received expressed approval.
However, he informed the committee that the office’s understaffing problem has yet to be fully addressed, which led to the request to recruit 247 new staff.
The Chairman said, “The grey areas observed in the 2025 budget proposal presented by the Office of Auditor General of the Federation on Tuesday this week have been addressed and cleared as seen in the one presented today.
“Accordingly, this committee has resolved to approve the budget for onward submission to the appropriation committee
“Auditor-General is, more or less, a member of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts and, by extension, that of the House of Representatives, whose budget should be given the required attention it deserves.
“Your budget has been passed for now, but please avoid the re-occurrence of grey areas earlier observed because your office is very strategic and sensitive,” he said.
In response, the Auditor-General thanked the committee for reconsidering and approving his office’s 2025 budgetary proposal. He said that when finally passed by the National Assembly, this would help the office perform better in the new fiscal year.
