Reps Give Accountant-General Seven Days to Explain Contract Breaches
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement has given the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) seven days to explain alleged contract violations between 2023 and 2025.
At a public hearing in Abuja on Friday, the committee queried the slow payment of contractors and several contract irregularities.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Unyime Idem (PDP–Akwa Ibom), said while the OAGF got a capital allocation of N337.5 million in 2023, it awarded eight contracts worth N678 million, overshooting its budget by more than N340 million.
He listed questionable contracts, including a training project on the Treasury Portal valued at N59.1 million, IPPIS data cleaning for N214.5 million, roof renovation for N20.1 million, and elevator refurbishment for N56.7 million, all lacking proper approvals as required by the Public Procurement Act 2007.
The lawmaker also cited the award of buses worth N145.9 million to Kojo Motors Ltd, which he said breached procurement laws.
The Accountant-General, Shamsudeen Ogunjimi sought more time to respond, explaining that some officials involved had been redeployed. He blamed delayed contractor payments on contracts awarded without budgetary backing but assured that verified contractors would be paid soon.
