Auditor-General makes case for improved funding, suitable office accommodation

The Auditor-General of the Federation, Shaakaa Chira, says improved funding is necessary to make the office perform effectively.

Mr Chira said this at the presentation for the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAuGF) Strategic Plan 2024-2028 in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to him, the office currently conducts periodic audit checks on over 1,000 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including foreign missions.

“While the federal government’s budget had been growing over the years, the finances made available to the OAuGF have been reducing compared with the related tasks.

“For instance, the total allocation to the OAuGF for the 2024 financial year is N8.165 billion, with 65 per cent as personnel costs, to audit the federal government’s budget of N28.78 trillion for the same period.

“For a supreme audit institution to be effective, there is the need for proper funding.

“While I recognise the current fiscal challenges of the government, the OAuGF’s scope of work as required by the constitution may be limited by funds available to it,” he said.

According to Mr Chira, proper funding will continue to be a key factor in assessing the effectiveness and impact of the audit institution.

He said that a situation where the MDAs provide accommodation for auditors sent on periodic checks could affect the outcome of the exercise.

The AuGF also cited inadequate office accommodation for staff as another major challenge.

He said that the accommodation challenge had forced the OAuGF to operate residencies with MDAs over the years.

“This situation is not the best practice as it is capable of impairing the independence of the auditors if they reside with MDAs for a long time,” he said.

He said that the OAuGF had evolved a policy of not allowing any staff to reside with an MDA for more than three years.

READ ALSO: Auditor General assures of timely submission of reports to NASS

He, however, said that a permanent solution was to provide the OAuGF with adequate office accommodation for staff.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee, Bamidele Salam, also harped on the need for improved funding for the OAuGF to guarantee its efficiency and independence.

Mr Salam proposed one per cent of the country’s annual budgets as allocation to the office.

(NAN)