Stakeholders in public finance management have called on the National Assembly to amend the constitution to strengthen auditing processes and institutions as a way to prevent corruption in Nigeria.
They specifically demanded financial and administrative independence for the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF) and the States as a way of ensuring effective delivery of audit services at the national and sub-national levels.
The stakeholders made the call at the virtual OPEN Constitution Conversation on ‘Strengthening Public Auditing through Constitutional Amendment’ organized recently by OrderPaper Nigeria with support from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL).
The virtual event had Senator Bashiru Ajibola, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs and Dr. Greg Ezeilo, Technical Adviser, Public Accounts Committee, House of Representatives, as guest speakers while Dr. Adetunji Ogunyemi, Economic Historian from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and John Mutu, Deputy Team Lead of PERL, provided technical background for the conversation.
A communiqué signed by Oke Epia, Executive Director of OrderPaper Nigeria, said participants at the event harped on the need to utilize the ongoing amendment of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly as a window to push for the strengthening of Supreme Audit Institutions in the country.
“The Office of the Auditor-General’s office (OAuGF) need to be independent to help in the effective delivery of auditing tasks at the national and sub-national levels,” the communiqué said, adding that “a provision in the amended Constitution should guarantee the security of Auditor General’s tenure to avoid cases as seen in other MDAs.”
The participants further recommended that “only experts with a minimum of 15 years working experience in auditing and accounting be appointed to drive the needed changes in the Supreme Audit Institution.
“The Office of the Auditor General of the Federation is encouraged to engage the service of Forensic Accountants in manning the services and activities of OAuGF.
“There is need to digitalize Nigeria’s audit system with modern technology. This will enable them to carry out their work on public financial management effectively.
“The meeting called for the establishment of an Audit Tribunal that will help in timely prosecution of defaulting individuals and MDAs when needed.”
While recommending that the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly should undergo regular capacity building trainings, participants emphasized that “a swift and effective audit system is a key strategy in winning the fight against corruption; therefore, the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation should be empowered to conduct quarterly audit of reports of MDAs to avoid backlog of reports as seen in previous years.”
Nigerians were encouraged to support the National Assembly to ensure that critical matters like the independence of the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation is achieved and to promote accountability and transparency while elite consensus was identified as needed in “upholding the Constitution’s provisions for driving institutional reforms for the good of the citizenry at all levels of governance, irrespective of political affiliation and personal interest.”
