The Senate on Tuesday queried the Small and Medium Development Enterprises Agency of Nigeria over failure to account for N298 million advance payment granted to some officials of the agency.
The Senate query was contained in the 2015 Auditor General Report, which was submitted to the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Mathew Urhogbide, who frowned at the failure of the SMEDAN to present supporting documents of the N298 million spent by some of its officials in 2013.
Efforts by the Director General of SMEDAN, Dikko Radda, to justify the spending of N298 million could hold water before the members of the Committee.
The Documents presented by the Director General of the SMEDAN was rejected by the Committee.
Responding to the evidence presented by the SMEDAN, the representative of the Auditor General, Adeagbo Ajibola, said the documents presented before the committee were those of 2014 not 2013.
But the Director General of SMEDAN claimed that it was a mix up when they were compiling the documents.
The Chairman of the committee however frowned at the failure of the SMEDAN before the Committee, saying the excuse was not tenable.
The query reads: “Audit review of the Internal Auditor report made available revealed in December 2013 a total amount of N298 million as advances.”
But in a written response of the agency before its appearance on Tuesday, it 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 advance will not be granted without retirement of previous one.”