The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee, PAC, has been urged to intensify effort towards auditing more government agencies to curb leakages.
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The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu gave the charge at the Unveiling of the Public Accounts Committee of the 10th Assembly and Leadership Training for PAC Members, in Abuja.
The Deputy Speaker also said that the resources available to the office of the Auditor General is not sufficient to get the job done.
He solicited for a review of the budget and personnel for the office of the Auditor General.
“ We are committed, as a people with the power purse to review the budget of the Auditor General’s office. Unless we don’t want the nine hundred MDAs to be well audited. The issue has been lack of adequate resources.How do you explain that the Auditor general’s office having a one thousand three hundred grade level 8 staff in the whole nation? It’s not sufficient. They came down from two thousand employees to one thousand three hundred. If they must get the job done, at least let’s push them back to two thousand employees so that all these MDAs would be well covered. There is no magic around this. If we want them to do the job, we should not make them magicians. We should equip them sufficiently to pursue the money of Nigeria, so that the work of the National Assembly will be easy”. He said.
He urged the Committee to deepen its engagement with the executive arm of government to ensure that ministries, departments and agencies uphold the principles of accountability, principles of transparency and prudence in the management of public fund.
” The PAC is also committed to strengthening the office of the Auditor General of the Federation in line with the best global best practice” Hon Kalu said.
He also said that it is unacceptable that the Office of the Auditor General is being overseen by an acting Director.
” The work of the PAC is complemented by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation. It is in this light that the Auditor General’s Office needs to be occupied. The appointment should be in place because it is a requirement of the Constitution”. He said.
He noted that he is confident that the PAC will be vital in helping the 10th Assembly achieve its goals of ensuring transparency, accountability, and good governance in Nigeria.
Saying that the recent passage of the Federal Audit Bill to repeal the 1956 Audit Ordinance is in line with the commitment of the House.
” The PAC’s mandate is very broad and expansive. It covers all aspects of government finance, including the collection, expenditure, and accounting of public funds. The PAC also has the power to investigate any financial irregularities, regardless of where they occur in the
government. To understand this vital role, it is quite auspicious that PAC members are trained to exercise their functions diligently, without any hindrance. It is my hope that this unveiling would retool you to this call to duty for the tax payer. You cannot afford to fail”. The Deputy Speaker added.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Bamidele Salam, said that PAC is committed to making sure that it digitalize its activities.
He said that it would ensure that members of the committee and staff work efficiently together.
Hon Salam also appealed for the appointment of a substantive Auditor General for Nigeria as the person acting in that capacity has over stayed.
He also called for the review of the 1956 audit ordinance guiding the organization.
He also said that it was important tp pass the Public Account Implementation Tribunal Bill for trial of offenders.
He said that the committee expects to have a one hundred percent review of Public Account.
In his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of Africa Development Study Center, ADSC Mr Victor Walsh Oluwafemi, said that the unveiling was an opportunity for all to come together and work towards a common goal of strengthening the oversight role of the Public Accounts Committee in the 10th House of Representatives through capacity development.
” In this one-day leadership capacity development, we will explore and cross-examine various aspects of strategic leadership, management of public finance and oversight responsibilities, strategic decision-making, and leadership in crisis management. Our goal is to equip members with the knowledge, skills, attributes and tools necessary to excel in their roles as PAC members and to be effective public stewards in managing public resources”.
A representative of Civil Societies, Olusegun Elemo, commended the House for the speedy passage of the federal Audit Bill.
He also praised the open door policy of the PAC leadership and prayed that it will continue to interact with the civil society.
