By Doris Ferdinand
The Vice Chancellors, VCs ,of some Federal Universities of the Nation have linked the delay in presenting their 2018-2019 Financial Audited Accounts to the office of the Auditor General of the Federation to covid-19 outbreak.
Universities who appeared before the House of Representatives on Public Accounts Committee, (PAC) have blamed their inability to render their 2018-2019 financial audited accounts to the office of the Auditor General of the Federation on the outbreak of the dreaded Corona virus pandemic in the country.
The VCs made this known on Tuesday, when they appeared before House of Representatives, Committee on Public Account.
The Universities’ VCs which appeared include Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Federal University of Technology , Minna, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurrun Delta State and Modibbo Adamu University of Technology Yola, Adamawa State respectively.
The Committee presently conducting administrative Investigations on the audit queries raised against Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government had requested the Institutions to submit the following information/documents for examinations:
*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 Institutions, they blamed the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country which delayed the processes and in some cases the inability of their Governing Councils to meet and approved the available reports
They pleaded for more time to conclude 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, just they 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 (IGR) of some of the Institutions saying that it violated financial regulations Government, as alluded to by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation.
At this point, the Chairman of the committee, Hon. Oluwole Oke counselled the VCs on the need to follow the provisions establishing the Universities to guide against running foul of the law as ignorance would not be accepted as an excuse.
