The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Worldwide has urged the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to fully respond to audit observations contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s report on non-compliance and internal control weaknesses in federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
In a statement endorsed by its five continental bodies, NIDO said the observations concerning NiDCOM should be addressed through documentary evidence and due process rather than public exchanges or social media allegations.
The organisation said the observations were contained in Volume I of the Auditor-General’s Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2024, transmitted to the National Assembly on July 17, 2026, while the observations on NiDCOM covered the 2023 financial year.
NIDO stressed that audit observations should not be interpreted as criminal convictions or proof of personal wrongdoing.
“This is not a social media allegation. It is an official report of the Auditor-General for the Federation, prepared and transmitted to the National Assembly in the exercise of the Auditor-General’s constitutional functions.
“Equally, an audit observation is not a criminal conviction, and non-compliance recorded by an auditor is not, without more, proof of personal dishonesty by any individual,” NIDO said.
According to NIDO, the 13 observations against NiDCOM included non-submission of its 2023 audited financial statements, emergency procurement without required certification, alleged contract splitting to circumvent approval thresholds, and contracts involving companies whose statutory or prequalification documents were reportedly invalid or expired.
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Other queries concerned contractors’ financial capacity, payments for diaspora events where evidence of execution was reportedly not produced, alleged overpayments, tax deductions, federal e-payment compliance, movement of funds between expenditure heads and cash advances above statutory limits.
NIDO said no response was recorded from NiDCOM management to any of the 13 observations.
“The audit process allowed the Commission to answer. On the face of the report, no response is recorded as having been received.”
NIDO noted that the Auditor-General consequently maintained that the findings remained valid pending implementation of the recommendations.
NIDO also referred to NiDCOM’s September 5, 2026 statement assuring that relevant documents were intact and would be made available to the Auditor-General and the appropriate committees of the National Assembly.
“We expect the undertaking to be fully honoured,” NIDO said.
On payments for diaspora events, NIDO said the audit query was not about whether the events took place, but whether the underlying contracts were properly documented and complied with procurement requirements.
“The Auditor-General has not queried whether the 2023 diaspora events took place.
“Attendance, participation and international recognition are not the issue raised by the audit. What the Auditor-General queried is whether evidence of execution of the underlying contracts was produced for audit, and whether the procurement rules governing those contracts were observed. An answer to that query therefore lies in the vouchers, contracts, approvals and delivery records, not in the guest lists. It is a documentary question, and it admits of a documentary answer. Let the documents speak.”
NIDO also renewed its call for the constitution and effective operation of NiDCOM’s statutory Governing Board, noting that the NiDCOM Establishment Act provides for a board responsible for the general administration of the Commission, including policy and its audited and management accounts.
NIDO said it was not aware that the board had been constituted and operationalised as contemplated by law, noting that the House of Representatives had in 2024 urged the President to constitute and inaugurate it.
“We do not suggest that the existence of a Governing Board would necessarily have prevented every matter identified by the Auditor-General. We do say that the governance and accountability mechanisms prescribed for a public institution should be fully operational.”
NIDO called on NiDCOM to cooperate fully with the Office of the Auditor-General and the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly. It demanded the submission of outstanding audited financial statements, compliance with public finance, procurement and audit requirements, and implementation of lawful recommendations, including recovery and remittance of funds where recommended.
The organisation also called for stronger internal audit, procurement and financial-control mechanisms, greater diaspora participation in governance structures, and the establishment of Diaspora Desks in the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian diplomatic missions abroad.
It renewed its call for voting rights for Nigerians living abroad and urged the Federal Government and National Assembly to pursue the constitutional and legislative changes required to make diaspora voting possible.
NIDO stressed that its intervention was not directed at any individual or political interest.
“This should not become a contest between individuals, organisations or political interests, and NIDO Worldwide will not be enlisted into one. NIDO Worldwide is non-partisan and takes no part in any partisan contest”, NIDO stated.
The organisation urged NiDCOM to provide the relevant records and respond to the audit observations, stressing that properly documented and authorised expenditure should be established, while recoverable funds and any wrongdoing established through due process should be dealt with according to law.
“Produce the records. Answer the observations. Implement the recommendations. Constitute the Board. Strengthen the institution. That is how public accountability works. That is how confidence is restored. And confidence, not silence, is what Nigeria’s diaspora institutions require.”
NIDO further proposed that a federal institution be designated to be led and managed by Nigerians in the Diaspora, saying it had previously recommended the National Orientation Agency for that purpose.
