Reps Probe MDAs Over Failed Audit Reports

The House of Representatives says it will “name and shame” Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that refuse to appear before it with their audited reports.
The Chairman, Committee on Public Accounts, Rep. Wole Oke, disclosed this during an investigative public hearing into the presentation of audit reports of MDAs on Monday.
The committee is investigating the “allegations of deliberate and reckless refusal by non-treasury funded MDAs to render accounts to the Office of the Accountant-General to the Federation (OAGF)”.
Oke said the investigation was necessary following the reports of the growing number of MDAs that refused to submit their Reports to the OAGF.
He said the investigation was in line with the constitutional responsibility of the house to oversight MDAs and allowed for stakeholders to exercise their constitutional rights of fair hearing.
The committee chairman said that the action by the committee was not intended to usurp the functions of the OAGF.
“Any agency that is invited and refused to show up, we will name and shame such MDAs. It shows that you are hiding something.
“We are only asking you, ‘bring your audited accounts’. If you have submitted to the auditor-general, show us proof; we are only saying based on the records that we have, so many agencies have refused to comply with the provision of the Constitution and relevant statutes.
“It is through these kinds of engagements that we can formulate policies, make new laws or amend the existing ones which are difficult to obey.”
The committee agreed that only the managing directors, chief executive officers or the directors of accounts of the various institutions present at the hearing could present the reports.
“Mr President can only give you a job but he cannot do the job for you. If we like to be MDs or CEOs, so why don’t we like to render accounts?
“You can discharge your duties when discharging money when it comes to accountability, you shy away. If the MD of Bank of Industry can be here, Director of DPR can be here, Nigerian Export-Import Bank are here, why won’t others?