The Senate on Tuesday queried the Small and Medium Enterprises Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) over failure to account for N298 million advance payment granted to some officials of the agency in 2013.
This query was contained in the 2015 Auditor-General Report which was submitted to the Senate Committee on Public Account.
At the sitting on Tuesday, the Chairman of the committee, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, demanded supporting documents relating to the payments from the Director-General of SMEDAN, Dikko Radda.
But the representative of Auditor General, Adeagbo Ajibola, said that the documents presented by the DG before the committee were that of 2014 not of 2013.
Responding, the SMEDAN DG claimed that the documents were mixed up during compilation.
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Urhoghide frowned on the DG for presenting documents for 2014 instead of 2013, saying the excuse was not tenable.
The query reads, “Audit review of the Internal Auditor report made available revealed that in December 2013 a total amount of N298 million as advances.
But in a written response to the query, SMEDAN said, ” The Agency Internal Auditors observations were fully addressed and all personal and non -personal advances granted for the period under review have been dully retired.
“Meanwhile, as advised, cash advances will be retired as when due and successive advances will not be granted without retirement of the previous one.”
