Audit Query: Reps Committee probes FCDA over non rendition of accounts in seven years

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has begun full investigations into the financial activities of the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA  following  queries raised against it by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation for non rendition of financial accounts in seven years  running as required by the law of the Federation.

Following this development, the Committee chaired  by Hon Busayo  Oluwole Oke summoned the  current Permanent Secretary of Ministry of FCDA,  Olusola Olusade , two retired Permanent Secretaries, Sir Chinnyeaka Ohaa and Mr Ajakaye as well as two former Directors of Finance of the ministry for questioning on their failure to render the financial accounts despite being paid their monthly salaries and allowances as public officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Speaking on the development when the Committee grilled the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Olusade who appeared along other top officials of the ministry, Oke described the action of the ministry officials as gross violation of the constitution of the land and against financial regulation which requires that  audited accounts of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government must be submitted to the office of the Auditor General of the Federation at a particular time for transparency and accountability.

 “I will tell you this is disheartening and unheard of of Mr Permanent Secretary, we have to summon your two predecessors in office,  the Directors of Finance and others having something to do with this mess, they will come and tell Nigerians what is responsible for their failures to carry out their assignments having received their annual salaries and other allowances from the federal government and failed to justify the money they collected.

“Things  cannot continue like this. As lawmakers, we have to stop all these shortcomings for the nation to move forward, let them come and tell us what  is responsible for the inefficiency, negligence, or is it because of manpower? We must hold some people responsible for the gross violation of the laws of the land, Nigeria is not a Banana republic where anything goes.”

In his defence which the committee countered as defective since government is a continuum, the Permanent Secretary, Olusade admitted that the FCDA erred for not rendering the audited accounts to the office of the Auditor General of the Federaion as required but said that the anomaly was already being addressed since he assured office.

He added that the audited account had been submitted  up to 2019 and that the 2020 was almost ready for submission but which the Representative of the office of  the Auditor General also countered, saying that there was no record to that effect but promised to cross check and report back to the Committee.

According to Olusade, ” when I assumed office as the Permanent Secretary, I discovered the problem of non rendition of audited accounts on ground, I quickly waded in, and put the officers in charge on their toes, because I know that a day like this would come and  I can assure you that the narration has changed. We are putting our house in order, it will not repeat itself again.”

A motion earlier moved by a member of the Committee to place the Ministry on a status of enquiry because of the magnitude of infractions in the Ministry’s submission was stepped down to allow

for submission from the ministry on their claims.

However the committee resolved to embark on projects claimed to have been executed by the Ministry to check for value for money expended on the projects.