Senate Queries AGF Over Non-Disclosure of Beneficiaries of FG’s N57.6bn Grants, Four Years After

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has queried the Accountant General of the Federation over failure to disclose details of a 2017 N57.6 billion federal government grant to state state governments,  privately owned companies, government owned companies, contributions to international organizations, and others. 

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts, relying on the 2017 report of  Office of Auditor General of the Federation issued the querry

The query reads, “Examination of Note 14 (Grants and Contributions), as well as the Statement of Financial Performance revealed the following

“The budgetary provision for Grants and Contribution was not disclosed in the notes to the accounts. This contravenes the provisions of IPSAS 24 (Presentation of Budget Information in Financial Statements).

“The sum of ₦57,624,929,461.05 (Fifty-seven billion, six hundred and twenty-four million, nine hundred and twenty-nine thousand, four hundred and sixty-one naira, five kobo) was granted by the Federal Government of Nigeria as grants and contribution which represent transfers to domestic and foreign governments, public and private owned companies, academic institutions and internationals for 2017. The breakdown and details of grants and contributions were not presented for audit. 

“Non disclosure of details of Federal Government Grants and Contributions will cast doubt on the authenticity and actual usage of such grants and contributions.

“The incomplete disclosure of budgeted figures may result in extra-budgetary expenditures.

“The Accountant-General was requested to disclose beneficiaries of grants and contributions for the year 2017. In his response, the Accountant-General stated that the list of beneficiaries of grants and contributions in the period under audit would be made available on Monday 18th March, 2019 but no list or details was received as at the time of this report.

“The Accountant-General is required to disclose the budget and beneficiaries of grants and contributions for the year 2017.”

The representative of  Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Segun Fehintola, however, failed to present any documents before the Senate  Committee showing the beneficiaries of the N57.6 billion two years after he had promised to make it available. 

But,  the Accountant  General promised the Committee that the details will be made available at the next sitting of the Committee this week. 

Angered by the response of the Accountant General of the Federation,  the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, stated that the observation of the Auditor General was genuine and the query must be sustained insisting that details of the beneficiaries of the grants must be presented to the Panel at the next sitting. 

According to him, “We must sustain this query because the observation was genuine and you must bring the details of beneficiaries of the grants to Committee for vetting at the next public hearing.

▪︎ By National Update