The House of Representatives Thursday directed the Accountant-general of the Federation, Idris Ahmed to furnish it with the details of bank statements and documents relating to the $36.1 multilateral loan and $1.5 million grants released to the Office of the Auditor-general of the Federation (OAGF).
The Green Chamber also summoned the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, Federal Civil Service Commission and Federal Character Commission to determine whether the waiver granted (OAGF) elapsed in January.
The House Committees on Public Accounts reached these resolutions when the DirectorGeneral of Budget Office, Ben Akabueze appeared before it to explain while the OAGF has been underfunded despite its critical role in ensuring accountability.
The Committee led by Wole Oke (PDP-OSUN) also adopted a motion of privilege raised by the deputy chairman, Abdulkadir Abdullahi (PDP-Bauchi) to bring to the attention of the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila abusive words used by Akabueze in a letter to the Committee.
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The Director-general told the lawmakers that contrary to their position, OAGF has received more funding under his stewardship from 2017 when it got N2.738 billion, N3.228 billion in 2018, N3.149 billion in 2019, N4.128 billion in 2020 N4.671 billion in the draft 2021 budget.
He said: “Office of the Auditor-general of the Federation receives substantial resources from development partners. And I cite here one of those programmes that are currently active; what is called the FGIP (Fiscal Governance and Institutions Project). Under the FGIP, there is $36.1m of a multilateral loan which is part of the national borrowing plan and it is available to the office of the auditor-general to use, to advance its work.
“Under that same programme, the office is entitled to a grant of $1.5m from the World Bank. I’m just citing one source. These are the additional resources taken into account by the Budget Office when we proposed budgetary allocations to the OAGF”.
Responding to letters sent to him by the Committee, Akabueze said:” it also reflects lack of understanding of the budget process. The DG why he plays a key role in the budget process does not act unilaterally. The budget process entails allocation of ceilings, capital and overhead ceilings to MDAS which is communicated in a services wide circular and that service-wide circular signed by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, not by the DG. Therefore whatever allocation is made to any MDA is assigned off by the Minister.
“To allege deliberate underfunding is simply, to say the least, is not correct. It is also important to note that the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning does not have the final word on the budge. Because the budget proposal is presented at FEC and is debated in Council and what eventually emerges is owned by the FEC and most specifically by the President who then lays before the National Assembly.
“If the allocation to the OAGF over the year has been inadequate, the National Assembly is also culpable. So to make a personal allegation against the DG for deliberately underfunding the OAGF is again in mine opinion does not reflect the fact”.
