In its 2019 Annual Audit Report, the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF) has reprimanded the National Assembly's administration over how money worth billions of naira were spent.
According to the Daily Trust, the AuGF, Aghughu Adolphus, highlighted in the audit that over N8.5 billion from the money provided to the National Assembly was spent without evidence during the time under scrutiny.
The funds under investigation, according to the report, were not backed up by vouchers or retirement paperwork.
The Senate, House of Representatives, and National Assembly Service Commission were all found to have broken the law, according to the report, which was given to the Clerk of the National Assembly in August of this year. The audit report is normally sent to the Public Accounts committees of the National Assembly for review.
The Auditor General's report identified seven questions about the Senate's financial records, including unaudited payment vouchers, non-remittance of VAT and WHT, and non-remittance of recovered vehicle loans, among other things.
According to the newspaper, the alleged financial infraction was over N3 billion.
Between July and December 2019, N219.6 million and N123.3 million in housing and auto loans were taken from senators' salary arrears, according to the report.
In response to another question, the audit report stated that N176.2 million was deducted from staff salaries as Pay As You Earn (PAYE); N39.7 million was deducted as Value Added Tax (VAT) from payment for services; and N237.6 million was deducted as Withholding Tax (WHT) from payment for services.
However, it stated that there was no proof that these funds were submitted to the Treasury Department and applicable tax authorities as required by law.
According to the study, N1.7 billion was paid for the procurement of automobiles and other office equipment through 17 payment vouchers between February and December 2019, but none of them were made available for audit scrutiny.
It further stated that between July and December 2019, N657.7 million was paid for the procurement of motor cars, motorbikes, and other office equipment using 16 payment vouchers.
According to the report, none of the payment vouchers were cleared by Internal Audit before being paid, as required by current laws.
The capital account was used to pay for the delivery of utility cars and the production of the National Assembly logo between August and November 2019, according to the audit report.
It went on to say that no essential supporting documentation were attached to the payment vouchers to help with payment validation.
The Auditor-General discovered how members of the House of Representatives spent approximately N5.5 billion at a separate time that could not be accounted for.
The costs included everything from the salaries of some lawmakers to repairs and maintenance, according to the report.
Payments from the House of Representatives' payroll accounts were also made without payment vouchers, as required by law, according to the investigation.
The Auditor-General sent five questions to the Clerk of the National Assembly about alleged violations involving billions of naira in finances.
In issue 1, the audit report noted that between July and December 2019, the sum of N2,550,000,000 was granted to members as operating expenditures, but that there was no proof to indicate what the funds were utilised for because, despite inquiries, there were no retirement records.
The payments were made in three regions, according to the report: North East – N187 million, South-South – N272 million, and South East – N442 million.
North Central – N391 million, South West – N629 million, and North West – N629 million are the other regions.
"Despite demands, there was no evidence to explain what the monies were used for, and there were no retirement documentation."
The report stated, "The above abnormalities could be ascribed to inadequacies in the Federal House of Representatives of the National Assembly's internal control system."
According to the audit report, the Clerk of the National Assembly must explain why members' operating expenditures were not retired.
In the second problem, the study questioned the Clerk's non-retirement of N258 million in advances to 59 staff members in the National Assembly's lower chamber.
It further said that officers were given additional advances if they had not yet retired their previous ones.
In the third problem, the Auditor-General raised concerns about cash advances of N107.9 million given for repairs and upkeep of unnamed quarters beyond the statutory limit.
It questioned the Clerk's decision to award advances in excess of N200,000, as stipulated by existing laws, and ordered him to justify his decision.
In issue 4, the report questioned the remittance of N1.5 billion without acknowledgment, as required by law.
Another N1.01 billion was discovered to have been paid from a salary account, according to the audit report. Payments were made without the preparation of payment vouchers, which is required by law.
This, according to the report, is in violation of Financial Regulations paragraph 601, which states that "All payment entries in the cash book/ account shall be vouched for on one of the prescribed treasury forms."
Similarly, the National Assembly Service Commission was questioned in the audit report for unretired cash advances and the non-remittance of 1% stamp duty on contracts, totaling N33.6 million.
It said the sum of N31.9 million was issued as personal cash advances to fifty-nine (59) personnel and that there was no proof of the retirement of the funds.
It was also discovered that N276.7 million was paid to contractors and service providers from the Commission's project account via 12 payment vouchers. However, it stated that N2.7 million, representing 1% Stamp Duties, was not subtracted.
Austen Adesoro, a spokesman for the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), told Daily Trust that the report was based on findings from 2019 and that most of the issues had been resolved.
Source: Sahara reporters