Nigeria’s international missions spending funds illegally – Auditor-Normal

The Home of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts has commenced investigation of extra-budgetary spending by Nigeria’s international missions and their refusal to remit Internally Generated Income regardless of cries of paucity of funds by the embassies and excessive commissions.

The Workplace of the Auditor Normal for the Federation, in its report introduced to the Nationwide Meeting, alleged numerous monetary infractions by the missions between 2010 and 2019.

The workplace decried that efforts to audit the accounts of among the missions have been pissed off by the officers who acted on a directive by the Everlasting Secretary of Ministry of International Affairs.

The Auditor-Normal, within the over 450-page doc containing an inventory of audit queries towards the missions, raised the alarm over their behavior of creating spending outdoors their budgets and with out the approval of the Nationwide Meeting.

The Auditor-Normal stated, “The apply the place Nigerian Missions over expended their allocations with impunity ought to be frowned at.  It ought to be famous that this motion is a violation of Monetary Regulation which stipulates that no expenditure on any subhead of the recurrent estimates in extra of the supply within the accepted estimates or supplementary estimates could also be authorised by any officer controlling a vote with out the prior approval of the Nationwide Meeting.

“I’m deeply anxious on the non-adherence to budgetary provisions by most Missions. It is very important be aware that this act contravenes the supply of extant laws which stipulates that no expenditure on any subhead of the recurrent estimates in extra of the supply within the accepted estimates or supplementary estimates could also be authorised by any officer controlling a vote with out the prior approval of the Nationwide Meeting.  It also needs to be famous that this apply makes nonsense of the appropriation.

“I’ve noticed that many of the Nigerian Missions have shaped the behavior of over expending their allocations with impunity.  This apply makes nonsense the essence of appropriation and ought to be frowned at.

“I’ve famous with dismay that almost all Nigerian Missions incur bills on most of their expenditure sub-heads in extra of the supply within the accepted estimates.  It ought to be famous that this contravenes the provisions of Monetary Regulation 313 (2009 Version) which stipulates that no expenditure on any sub-head of the Recurrent estimates in extra of the supply within the accepted estimates or supplementary estimates could also be authorised by any officer controlling a vote with out approval of the Nationwide Meeting.”

The report stated whereas the landed property of the Nigerian Embassy in Brasilia have been in a dilapidated situation with none effort to renovate them, the embassy had been spending $50,247.89 yearly on hire for 2 of its officers, noting that quantity spent on hire for 3 years might have been used to renovate the buildings and minimize price.

The report additionally stated the embassy exchanged six outdated autos, whose costs weren’t made accessible, for 2 new ones bought at a complete price of $95,211, whereas an extra $17,642.08 was spent on cargo,  insurance coverage and clearing of the brand new autos, even when there was no budgetary provision for the acquisition.

One other question alleged that in 2010, the then Nigerian Ambassador to Poland claimed over N9.777m yearly for non-existing home employees. In line with the report, despite the fact that the ambassador’s letter of deployment famous engagement of a prepare dinner/steward, a maid and gardener who ought to be engaged domestically and enrolled on the payroll of the mission, they have been by no means employed.

One other question alleged that in 2011, the Nigerian Ambassador to France spent over N1.75m on leisure of friends with none document of the friends, haircuts, manicure, hair colouring and value of ticket to Nigeria for session with none proof of any official invitation/approval for the journey. The Auditor-Normal described these as “very personal bills that ought to not have been borne by public funds.”

The Auditor-Normal added that officers of the Nigeria Embassy in Paris have been printing official receipts booklets for the gathering of presidency income privately, opposite to Monetary Rules which stipulated that “by no means shall non permanent or privately printed receipts be utilised for the gathering of presidency income.” In line with the workplace, the apply inspired fraudulent actions, making it troublesome to trace the receipts issued out and thus troublesome to find out the precise income generated.

The workplace additionally stated in one other question that, “On the Embassy of Nigeria, Washington D.C., USA, properties owned by the Federal Authorities of Nigeria have been offered and the proceeds of the gross sales used to open a ‘Property Account.’ A scrutiny of the financial institution statements of the primary account revealed that a number of transfers of funds amounting to USD17,477,677.54 (N2,619,949,997.79) have been made at completely different occasions between twenty eighth August, 2009 and twenty sixth April, 2012, from the ‘Property Account’ to the primary account.  Regardless of these big transfers, the primary account had solely a meagre stability of the sum of USD769.49 (N115,348.58) as at sixteenth Might, 2012.