Fraud In MDAs: Tope Fasua Calls For Strengthening Of Auditor General Office

Economist and businessman, Mr Tope Fasua has recommended the strengthening of the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) be enforce and prosecute government agencies indicted in their periodic audit report.

Mr Fasua made the assertion during a radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG.

Discussing the topic:AUDITOR GENERAL’S REPORTS: MDAs NECK DEEP IN IRREGULARITIES, FRAUDS, Mr Fasua also called for the scrapping of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission following their lacklustre attitude in curbing corruption.

On the overview of financial compliance level in the MDAs, he said it exposes the level of hypocrisy in the things done in the country, saying: “we have a government that claims to be opposing corruption and yet not lifting a finger, for example 69 government agencies have never submitted their financial report since inception, 323 refused to submitted in 2018, and then it keeps getting worse and year in year out.”

Mr Fasua also noted that the Office of the Auditor General will only work on report they see, then it goes to public account committee in the House of representative, and maybe the senate.

When asked if anti-Corruption agencies can work with concluded reports, he said: “The only problem is that when you are fundamentally compromised there is nothing you can do.

Fasua also decried lack of law compelling government ministry, agencies and department to answer query from the Auditor general.

“As far as no law compels MDAs in answering Auditor General’s query, much will not be achieved.
“Why are we not working on that law, why is Mr President not interested, where are the members of the national assembly?”

Similarly, TheCable correspondent, Haleem Olatunji who reported multiple financial fraud in the Nigerian Law School recently, said there have been no effort to bring the perpetrators of the misappropriation to book.

Speaking from Lagos on telephone Olatunji had this to say: “The Law School report is like several other reports in the Auditor General’s office.
“Right now we have not seen anything from Law School because the Senate directed the Director General to make sure the money was recovered and returned to the school’s account, but no update so far,” he said.