COVID-19 pandemic delayed rendition  of audited accounts to Auditor General of the Federation, VCs Tell Reps

▪︎Plead for more time

Some of the Vice Chancellors, VCs, of the nation’s Federal Universities on Tuesday appeared before the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee, PAC, and  blamed their inability to meet up with the rendition of their 2018-2019  Financial Audited Accounts to the office of the Auditor General of the Federation on the outbreak of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The Universities, which appeared before the Committee being Chaired by Hon Busayo Wole Oke (Osun–PDP ), included Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Federal University of Technology , Minna,  FUT, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta State and Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State.

The Committee currently conducting administrative Investigations into the audit queries raised against the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA of the Federal Government had requested the agencies to submit the following information/ documents for examinations:

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▪︎Approved Budget ( both appropriation and Internally Generated Revenue, IGR for 2018-2019)
▪︎Audited Account and Management Account (2018-2019).
▪︎Budget Performance Report (2018-2019).
▪︎Evidence of remittance of Audited Accounts to the Auditor General of the Federation.

However, during the appearances of the Heads of the Instructions before the Committee, they blamed the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country for the delay in the processes and in some cases the inability of their Governing Boards to meet and approve the available reports

They pleaded for more time to tidy up their records with their External Auditors for the rendition which the Committee accepted but summoned the External Auditor of the Federal University of Lafia Nasarawa State over some infractions noticed in the 2018 Audited Account of the Institution and also directed that a sub- Committee should visit the Institution for on- the -spot assessment of most of the projects claimed to have been executed.

The Committee also frowned at the utilization of the Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs)  of some of the Instructions which it said violated financial regulations policy of the Federal Government as corroborated by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation .

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Busayo Wole Oke counselled the Vice Chancellors on the need to follow the provisions establishing the Universities to guide against running foul of the law as ignorance would not be accepted asa defence.