The House of Representatives has indicted 31 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government over financial irregularities involving more than ₦103.8 billion and $950,912.
This followed the adoption of a motion presented by Rep. Bamidele Salam, based on the findings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) during its review of the Auditor-General’s annual reports for the years ending December 31, 2019, and 2020.
The reports revealed widespread breaches of financial regulations, unauthorized expenditures, poor internal controls, and non-compliance across numerous government agencies. In response, the House has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to launch investigations and ensure the recovery of the misappropriated funds and their remittance to the federal treasury.
One of the key revelations involved the unauthorized use of funds by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was found to have made questionable expenditures on a presidential lodge project in Ethiopia without proper approval. Similar findings were made against several other agencies, including financial mismanagement by the Bank of Agriculture, illegal contract payments, unremitted taxes, and violations of procurement procedures.
The Public Accounts Committee also uncovered massive debts and misuse of resources in agencies such as the Rural Electrification Agency, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc, and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, among others.
Some officials were accused of approving questionable payments, failing to remit internally generated revenue, and neglecting to comply with pre-audit requirements.
The House further directed that responsible individuals, including current and former officials, must be held accountable, and any illegally acquired funds or assets must be recovered.
The lawmakers also emphasized the need to strengthen the country’s audit system and called for amendments to financial regulations that would empower agency heads to appoint external auditors in the absence of governing boards, with guidance from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary, praised Rep. Bamidele Salam and the Public Accounts Committee for their thorough work and reaffirmed the House’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of public resources.
