THE Federal Ministry of Works and Housing under leadership of Babatunde Fashola engaged in fraudulent procurement, contract splitting and non-remittance of statutory deductions to the tune of about N9.38 billion, report obtained by The ICIR has shown.

Latest audit report from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAuGF) listed 16 infractions against officials of the Works Section of the ministry. The ICIR also discovered most of these offenses flout the Public Procurement Act (PPA), 2007 and the Financial Regulations Guideline.

The report, uploaded on the OAuGF website on December 23, 2020 shows huge infractions worth N105,760,058,919.43 within the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Monetary values of the 16 irregularities listed against the ministry’s officials is summed at N9,380,157,474.83. Though, Fashola oversees the ministry, the Federal Government had in 2015 announced Permanent Secretaries as accounting officers of their respective ministries. So, as of the period the anomalies were committed, Alhaji Mohammed Bukar was PS of the Power, Works and Housing Ministry.

Some of the concerns raised in the audit report include under and non-remittance of revenues generated by the MDAs, irregular expenditures including what the OAuGf described as ‘high magnitude of unretired advances’, among others.

“Overall, our findings are indicative of significant weakness in expenditure control, and financial reporting,” it states, adding that accounting officers in the MDAs had developed thick-skin towards improving some of the audit observations raised by the OAuGF.

In a letter with reference number C/AR.2018/CONF/VOL.1/01, Anthony Ayine, the Auditor-General of the Federation had earlier submitted first part of the report on October 16, last year to Clerk of the National Assembly as mandated by Section 85 (2) and (5) of the Constitution, for necessary reviews and action.

“The Auditor-General shall have power to conduct checks of all government statutory corporations, commissions, authorities, agencies, including all persons and bodies established by an Act of the National Assembly,” Subsection 4 of the Act reads.

However, in relation to the works arm of the ministry, part of the infractions recorded by the OAuGF includes the procurement of 36 Project Monitoring Vehicles at the cost of N343.83 million (N353,833,338) without due process. This flouts Section 24 of the PPA which mandates public procurement to undergo competitive bidding, except approved otherwise by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

Further findings revealed the procured vehicles had no record because they “were not received into store as there was no document to show such delivery.”

Aside the questionable purchase, another N139.90 million (N139,906,251.20) flawed procurement of photocopying machines parts, computer accessories, and vehicle spare parts was discovered by the Office.

The ministry had no store record to validate the purchase.

Also, N2.5 billion emergency repair of Talabu Bridge along Tegina – Mokwa Road, Niger State is one of the notable contracts the OAuGF identified the ministry’s officials breached the PPA. The awarded contract surpassed threshold. It was awarded rather than seeking the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval.

Findings by The ICIR also showed (ERGP 12106525) only N1.20 billion was approved for some ongoing projects and emergency works in the 2018 approved budget of the ministry.

“Failure to comply with procurement rules and laws could lead to poor performance, abandonment of works or loss of public funds,” the Office stated while highlighting the risk involved in non-compliance.

OAuGF is the supreme audit institution of the federal government headed by Ayine.

The Office is empowered to statutorily promote transparency and accountability across MDAs and ensure proper management of the nation’s resources independently.

Besides its responsibility, it also partners with relevant regional and international organisations such as the World Bank, African Organisation of English-Speaking Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E) in delivering its mandate.

As such, Ayine has repeatedly criticised non-compliance of some MDAs and late submissions of audited accounts and financial statements of federal government parastatals by their chief executives.

He described the trend to be of great concerns.

READ MORE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/bypassing-of-procurement-act-contract-splitting-other-illegalities-in-fasholas-ministry-that-cost-fg-about-n9-38bn/

Why are people not going to jail for all this rubbish. 4k Nigeria abeg.

It is a pity Buhari came with lies to end corruption but only ended overseeing the worst fleecing that has ever happened in Nigeria.

Foolish politicians who turn their own country into their ATM machines.

Nigeria will never be great.

Even if a true honest leader comes to end corruption, it won't be long before he is driven out of power with lies or killed.

Fashola is Tinubu's protégé........

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