Ayeni calls for independence of Auditor-General’s Office

The Auditor-General for the Federation, Mr. Athony Ayeni, has called for the independence of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation.

He made the call while presenting the Audit Office’s 5-Year Strategic Development Plan on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that it was imperative for the Audit Office to be free of all interference to allow for proper auditing and accountability.

According to him, “Where the system you are auditing exerts direct control over your funding both in terms of what you get and when it is released to you in some instances also the auditee has to financially sponsor audit field visits, you can imagine the impact that would have on the effectiveness of audits and auditors.”

He pointed out that, “It is my belief that Nigeria needs an operationally and financially independent audit office that is free from external influence or control able to deliver on its mandate without obstruction and empowered to report its findings accurately and in full without impediment.

“With the ongoing economic transformation by this administration, all stakeholders will be aware of the need for independent audit reports in the performance and financial position of various initiative across several sectors.

“It is important to note that the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) may be able to commission progress reports from private auditors and consultants but the reports that actually move accountability forward are those prepared by the supreme audit institution of the country charged with the constitution to fulfill the oversight role.

He said there is the need to also properly train auditors.

According to him, supreme audit institutions work to ensure transparency and accountability in governance in a fast changing world.

“Auditors need to sharpen their skill sets to be able to add value to society and remain relevant to their stakeholders hence the capacity building plays an important rile to keep the auditors service-driven,” Ayeni said.

He added that, “There is the urgent need for a major uplift in skills and technology.

“The real issue to be tackled in order to have sustained changes are the entrenched systemic weaknesses in public financial management across the majority of MDAs whether in procurement, value-for-money, project management, service delivery and emergency response.

“The solution will lead to sustained system wide improvement and the strengthening of governance across all areas of government endeavours is to ensure that the supreme audit institution charged with the audit of these MDAs is enabled ad empowered to do a thorough and independent job.”

He added “in the context of Nigeria, and the major challenges, including corruption, the effectiveness of the audit office is hindered or weakened when the supreme audit institution cannot be guaranteed of minimum funding to meet basic needs to execute its mandate.”

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman Public Account Committee of the House of Representatives, Hon Chinda promised full independence for the audit office as the bill to that effect would soon be passed by both houses of the assembly.

He frowned at the 2017 budgetary allocation to the Audit office saying, “It was insufficient and was a deliberate attempt to derail their work.

“We wanted to increase their budget but we were afraid because people would say budget padding.”

He promised full cooperation with the Office to ensure it properly discharges its constitutional duty.

Mathew Dadiya and Samiat Oduwole, Abuja