The Committee on Public Accounts of the House of Representatives has recommended that former and serving management staff of several Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Government be prosecuted for failing to render audited accounts.
They made this recommendation for indicted officials in Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
The committee also queried officials involved in the failed audit of the accounts of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The committee also asked several MDAs to refund monies released to them by the Federal Government for failing to render accounts.
The committee had carried our investigations to confirm a audit report by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF), covering 2014 to 2018, which was presented to the National Assembly.
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The management of NIMASA, according to the committee’s report, only rendered 2014 audited accounts to the auditor-general for the past five years while it had yet to remit its accounts from 2015 to 2018.
The committee said, “The reckless refusal by the management of the agency to render accounts for their stewardship for the past five years now is despicable and is a violation of Section 85(3) (b) of the 1999 Nigeria Constitution.
“All those in office that were responsible should be disciplined and referred to the EFCC to refund all monies received by them from the government for the period 2015 -2019 to the treasury in line with FR 3129 of 2009.”
The committee said the auditor-general confirmed that the NSITF last rendered its audited account in 2005, leaving 2006 to 2018 still outstanding.
The report stated, “The committee frowned at this worrisome attitude of the Fund for refusing to render its audited accounts for the last 13 years, yet benefited from the federal treasury.
“All directors-generals of the Fund and their DFAs as well as various external auditors from 2006 till now should be handed over to the EFCC, in line with FR No, 3129, for further prosecution to compel them to refund all money received and misused by the officers.”
