Buhari’s Ministers Undermining War Against Corruption – Reps

Yesterday, the House of Representatives accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministers and other appointments of sabotaging the government’s attempts to combat corruption in the nation.

It specifically singled out the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Budget Office of the Federation, and Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning.

The Auditor-General of the Federation, Andrew Onwudili, revealed that his office proposed a total budget of N11.151 billion for 2023, which the Budget Office reduced to N5.112 billion. Wole Oke, the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, PAC, delivered the rebuke during the 2023 budget defense with the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

He said that the office had recommended a N3.041 billion personnel cost as opposed to the N2.349 billion allocated in the budget.

He added that the Budget Office has lowered the N5.59 billion projected for overhead expenses to N2.113 billion and the N2.52 billion proposed for capital expenditures to N62.70 million.

The committee chairman was furious with the numbers and accused the government’s fiscal policy makers of sabotaging the battle against corruption.

An attempt to gain a response from the Presidency was unsuccessful because a top official who wished to remain anonymous indicated that only the Minister of Information can remark on the subject.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the minister, could not be reached either because his mobile phone lines were disconnected.

Oke, however, said that the Independent Corruption Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, or ICPC, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, were only auxiliary in the battle against corruption.

he committee chairman, therefore, summoned the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed; Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Sylva Okolieaboh, Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Nwabueze; and the Head of Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan, giving them seven days ultimatum to appear and explain why the budget of such a strategic office was toyed with.

He said: “It is very important at this point in time to state clearly our observations. We want to observe that the government of President Buhari was elected based on his promise, determination to tame corruption in our country.

“One of the institutions, as a matter of fact, the fundamental institution which the crafters of our constitution put in place under Section 85 is the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. By Act of the parliament, we have created ancillary institutions such as ICPC, EFCC to work with the findings of the Office of the Auditor-General after due considerations by the Parliament.

“It is very unfortunate that we have noticed the concerted effort and determination to undermine the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to eradicate, repeal illegally the supreme audit institution of this country.

“We have seen the determination of the lieutenants of Mr President, particularly the Minister of Finance, the D-G, Budget Office to undermine Mr President in his determination to wage war against corruption on the land.

“Otherwise, why would you allocate several billions to ancillary institutions and you are giving N62 million to the office of the Auditor General of the Federation to fund Ccapital? They have to go cap in hand to pay workers?

‘’They are understaffed, they are undermined? They cannot conduct performance audit. As we speak, this office is yet to lay their reports in respect of 2022 and 2021 financial years.

“We are saying we are determined to wage war against corruption. We cannot see how we intend to achieve the objectives, based on which budget is formulated, speaking to law, facts and issues. ‘

‘The Procurement Act, Section 2021 (18) taking together, is the bedrock for budget formulation. In Sub-Section 18, an agency of government is expected to conduct needs assessment, conduct market survey, arrive at your needs and ensure they are embedded in the annual budget.

“If the Auditor-General of the Federation has conducted needs assessment in terms of personnel, in the areas of working tools and have offices in all the 36 states and the FCT and they came to the conclusion about what they need and submit same to the Budget Office, and the Budget Office violated that same principle, Procurement Act and now reduced the capital requirements of this agency to N62 million, reduced their overhead by N3 billion and gave the agencies of government that are doing virtually nothing billions of naira, there is no other way to tell Mr. President that his lieutenants are working against him.

“Or, are they telling Nigerians, that even the objectives laid by Mr. President is determined to undermine this supreme audit institution? Otherwise, Mr. President would have assented that bill presented to him, and this would have given the Auditor General’s office its rightful place in our country.

“We reject this budget. This budget cannot work. The Accountant-General of the Federation, the minister of finance are hereby summoned to appear before this committee to tell Nigerians why this is so.

‘’The minister for finance, the DG Budget, the Accountant General of the Federation, the three of them should cause appearance before this committee and tell Nigerians why they are undermining the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation. Why the office has not been staffed? Why they are not being given the tools required to work, to weed offcorruption in the land?

“They have to tell Nigerians why the EFCC and ICPC are being funded more than the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation? We will not accept it. It can’t be business as usual.

“We are here to support the President in his bid to humble corruption, weed corruption out of the land. We owe him a duty of care to expose any of his lieutenants working against him. This is our position.

“Auditor General, you have to re-appear when the minister of finance, the DG Budget office and the Accountant General are here. They have to tell Nigerians why they are funding agencies created by the Act of Parliament and under-fund a constitutional body? And I am giving them seven days to appear please.

“Your budget performance has been submitted to sub-committee for review. Our findings will be communicated to you. Include the Head of Service in the summon”.

Senate summons Finance Minister over N147bn multilateral/billateral project in Power Ministry Budget

Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday summoned the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, over the N147 billion included in the capital project of the Ministry of Power.

Speaking during the budget defence of Ministry of Power in Abuja, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Senator Gabriel Suswam, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Benue North East, who invited the minister, said the invitation became imperative against the backdrop of the fact that the committee could not explain how the fund for the bilateral/ Multilateral project in power sector was being expended.

Suswan said: “ The actual capital budget of the ministry of power for 2023 is N44 billion, while N147 billion is meant for bilateral and multilateral projects.

“We cannot explain how they are being expended; you cannot lay your hand on the projects; we cannot oversight it, the Ministry of Power does not know about it.

“We are inviting the minister of finance to come, explain to us, the money has been put in the budget year in, year out.’’

The Minister of Power, Engr Abubakar Aliyu, presented a budget of N250 billion for the ministry.