Senate slams NNPCL, FIRS, Police, others for ignoring audit report queries
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has expressed its disappointment and frustration with the management of 15 agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Nigeria Police Force, for their persistent refusal to respond to queries raised against them in the 2019 Audit report.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, Chairman of the committee, Senator Ahmed Aliyu (SDP Nasarawa West), stated that despite several opportunities, the agencies failed to respond to queries and defend their actions. “Since heads of the affected agencies refused to respond to queries raised against them in the 2019 audit report after several opportunities offered to do so, the committee has no choice but to take decisive action,” Aliyu said.
He emphasised that the committee commenced consideration of the Audit Report in October 2023, with the aim of presenting its report to the Plenary.
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However, some agencies have willfully failed to honour invitations to defend their written responses to the audit queries as submitted to the Committee Secretariat.
“Beside the demand for submission of written responses to audit queries, part of the Committee’s rules of engagement requires that Accounting Officers attend the Committee’s Public Hearing to respond to questions arising from the analysis of their submissions,” Aliyu explained.
The Senator lamented that the desire of the Public Accounts Committee to timely discharge its constitutional and legislative function was being hindered by the evasive and negative actions of some CEOs or accounting officers of the concerned MDAs.
“The Committee is very displeased with the attitude of foot dragging by agencies who are by law, expected to respond to parliamentary invitations and account for their actions,” he said.
Aliyu warned that going forward, any agency that refuses to honour an invitation to defend its queries will have its queries sustained and reported to the Senate plenary by the committee.
“The Committee has over time, extended invitations to those agencies providing them ample opportunities to defend their queries but for reasons best known to them, these agencies have chosen to disregard invitations,” he noted.
To Aliyu, the attitude of the affected public agencies on persistent refusal to respond to queries against them in audit reports was frustrating and detrimental to the aspirations and goals of President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government.
The affected agencies include the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Police Force, and 12 others.
Proofreading and editing by Fa’izatu Aliyu Doma, Journalist at Neptune Prime.
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