By Francis Nansak
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu, has suspended its ongoing review of the budget presented by the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation citing noticeable discrepancies.
Senator Wadada on Wednesday said his committee took the decision to suspend the review of the budget of the office of the Auditor-General in order to affirm its commitment to transparency and accountability in government operations, even as the committee commenced the 2025 budget defense for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
He disclosed that after a careful scrutiny of the budget submitted by the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, the committee uncovered certain discrepancies that would require some explanation before the document would be approved.
Senator Wadada said this has become necessary especially that the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation is saddled with the responsibility of auditing ministries, departments and agencies to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
He explained that the decision was aimed at giving the office sufficient time to address the issues raised, including all the inconsistencies in its report.
“This committee is saddled with the responsibility of auditing the office of the Auditor-General and with those grey areas coming from the office of the Auditor-General, the onus is on us to do the needful.
“The needful is for us to suspend treating the budget defense of the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation until those grey areas are cleared,” he stated.
He added that the committee was left with no other option than to suspend the review the budget until these discrepancies are sorted out and corrected before the committee would approve the budget of the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
Senator Wadada said the delay in the appearance of the Auditor General’s office before the committee, was due to reasons beyond the committee’s control.
He further noted that some critical documents were only submitted on the day of the hearing, adding that while timing is not the primary concern, the committee is obligated to address the grey areas identified in the report to ensure the integrity of the budgetary process.
He pointed out that the Office of the Auditor General, tasked with auditing MDAs, is itself subject to the oversight of the Senate Public Accounts Committee.
Senator Wadada emphasized that the committee’s role is to ensure that the Auditor General’s findings are accurate and transparent and that the office must be held to the highest standards of accountability in order to uphold the principles of good governance.
