The Office of the Auditor General of the Federation and the Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CIFCFIN) have called for the speedy transmission of the Audit Bill to the president for assent.
The bill had already been passed by both Houses of the National Assembly and aims to strengthen the fight against corruption in the public sector.
Speaking shortly after the signing of a partnership agreement between the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation and the Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CIFCFIN) towards drastically reducing corrupt practices, fraud and financial malfeasance in the public sector in Nigeria, acting auditor general for the federation, Dr. Andrew Onwudili disclosed that the Bill, once assented to by the President, will give the Auditor General’s office autonomy status.
“The Office will be separated from the Federal Civil Service Commission or any other Commission, just like the way government-owned audit institutions operate in other countries like Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and several other countries across the world,” he said.
Dr Okwudili stated that the Act will ensure the release of needed funds necessary for his office to creditably carry out its mandate, even as he lamented the present paucity of funds which had hamstrung the office from robustly carrying out its mandate.
The acting auditor-general appealed to the National Assembly to quickly transmit the Audit Bill within the shortest possible time before the end of the Ninth Assembly to Mr. President for signing of the Bill into Law.
On his part, CIFCFIN’s president, Dr Iliyasu Gashinbaki said the Institute was very confident that if the Bill is transmitted, President Muhammadu Buhari, in his usual magnanimity, will assent to it with the necessary speed it deserves.
“We are also very sure that the assent to that Bill will be very transformative in the landscape of the entire public financial management, and in ensuring that audit of government funds is carried out as it is obtainable in other jurisdictions,” he added.
