Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and anti-corruption agencies to investigate alleged missing N106 billion from 149 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as documented in the 2018 annual audited report by the Auditor General of the Federation.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, in a letter dated dated April 17, said the reported missing funds reflected failure of the indicted MDAs to ensure strict compliance with transparency and accountability rules and regulations, and the failure of MDAs leadership to foster institutions that uphold the rule of law and human rights.
“Anyone suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any missing public funds should be fully recovered,” Oluwadare said.
SERAP also urged the president to direct Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, to create a system of public announcements to name and shame the indicted 149 MDAs, including those that reportedly failed to remit over N55 billion of their revenue; awarded contracts of over N18 billion for services not rendered; and spent over N23 billion without any supporting documents.
According to SERAP, “Recovering the alleged missing public funds would reduce the pressure on the Federal Government to borrow more money to fund the budget, enable the authorities to meet the country’s human rights obligation to progressively realise Nigerians’ rights to quality health care and education, as well as reduce the growing level of public debts.”
“SERAP urges you to ask Mrs Ahmed and Ahmed Idris, accountant general of the federation to explain why they allegedly failed to ensure strict compliance with relevant legislation, rules and regulations across all MDAs, despite warning and recommendations by the auditor general.
“SERAP also urges you to direct Ahmed to publish full details of the yearly budgets of all MDAs, and issue regular updates that accurately detail their expenditures, including by making any such information easily accessible in a form that can be understood by the public.
“The auditor general stated that the alleged infractions by the 149 MDAs could have been prevented if Ahmed and Idris had heeded his warning to ensure strict compliance with relevant legislation, rules and regulations across all MDAs.”
“SERAP is concerned that the alleged missing public funds have hampered the ability of the MDAs to meet the needs of average citizens, as the missing funds could have helped your government to invest in key public goods and services, and to improve access of Nigerians to these services.”
The letter was copied to Mr Malami; Bolaji Owasanoye, chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission; Abdulrasheed Bawa, chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; Mrs Ahmed; and chairmen of the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly.