The House of Representatives has directed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to immediately appoint a substantive Auditor-General for the area councils, in line with legal provisions.
This resolution was adopted during a session of the Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, where lawmakers expressed concern that the absence of a substantive Auditor-General had hindered the signing and transmission of audited financial reports as required by the constitution.
During the session, the Acting Auditor-General for the Area Councils, Abdullahi Ibn Salihu, presented a report before the committee. However, the committee chairman, Bamidele Salam, emphasised the need for urgent action.
“Colleagues, I think we should also step into this. When we resumed in October 2023, the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation was vacant for about two years.
“The former President, Muhammadu Buhari, refused to make an appointment. And so, audit reports were not submitted. When we came in, myself and the Senate counterpart decided to write letters to the President and make some advocacy, which led to the appointment of a substantive Auditor-General,” Salam stated.
He further noted that if the same situation was occurring in the FCT, the House must intervene and demand an explanation from the minister regarding the delay in making the appointment.
Following this, a motion urging Wike to take immediate action was moved by Obordor Mitema and seconded by Usman Bala. The motion received unanimous approval from committee members.
Addressing inquiries about the financial reports of the area councils, Abdullahi Ibn Salihu clarified that most of the infractions observed were committed under previous administrations, as he had only been in an acting capacity for six months.
Among the identified infractions were the non-submission of audited financial reports for 2023-2024, failure to remit pension deductions to the Pension Commission, and the inability to submit available audit reports to the committee.
Lawmaker Billy Osawaru strongly condemned these lapses and urged the committee to ensure full compliance with financial regulations.
“This kind of financial recklessness must not be allowed to continue. The laws guiding financial audits must be strictly adhered to,” Osawaru stated.
To further investigate the infractions, the committee constituted a five-member sub-committee, chaired by Tochukwu Okere, to examine the issues and provide recommendations.
The sub-committee also includes Ajiya Abdulrahman, Mandara Usman, Mauruff Adebayo, and Mohammed Bargaja.