How 10 MDAs squandered N2.6bn on ‘unapproved’ foreign trips – Report

A total number of 10 government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government squandered a whopping N2.6 billion on different foreign trips without proper approval, an audit report has revealed.

The report which was released by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGf) revealed that the MDAs also spent the amount on training and conferences without getting approvals for them

The report, covered activities of the MDAs which was mostly undertaken in 2017.

The auditor general of the federation, Anthony Mkpe Ayine said this action by MDAs despite the strict restrictions placed on international travels was uncalled for, adding that it may further lead to misappropriation of funds.

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Ayine stated that all those involved in the payments being made without the relevant documents and approvals should be sanctioned.

The auditor general further recommended that the minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed should ensure that all MDAs are placed on the government integrated financial management information system (GIFMIS) platform, as well as abolish the use of manual payment voucher, and carrying out all payments through the GIFMIS platform.

A breakdown of the different ministries departments and agencies of government show the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) tops the list with N2.193 billion and closely followed by the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State with N168.3 million.

Similarly, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) spent N161.36 million without approval while the National Examination Council (NECO), and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) spent N38.38 million and N25.1 million respectively without approval, as Federal University, Oye-Ekiti spent N29.6m, the report said.

Also, Federal University, Dutse Jigawa state spent N21.5 million while university of Uyo, Akwa Ibom expended N20.29 million.

Also on the list are the National Agency for Science Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC) which according to the report spent N10.74 and N4m respectively.