House of Reps summons Head of Service over delay in appointment of Auditor General

By Haruna Salami

The House Representatives on Thursday summoned the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Folashade Yemi-Esan to appear before the committee on Public Accounts over the delay in the appointment of Auditor General for the Federation.

The Chairman House Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Bamidale Salami made the call Thursday at an interactive session with the Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to explain the delay of financial report.

Hon. Bamidale Salami, expressed concern over the delay in the appointment of Auditor General for the Federation, adding that this has affected the audited reports in the financial report. He therefore summoned the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Folasade Yemi-Esan to appear on Tuesday next week.

Hon. Bamidale commended the Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein for prompt response to the call by the committee.

In her response, the Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein said the delay in the appointment of the Auditor General for Federation may contribute to the Consolidated Statement of the Financial Position because directors in the Auditor General’s office have no power to sign major documents.

According to her, “the above anomalies could be attributed to weakness in the internal control system in the consolidation process.

“It was the standard for accrual account that the Minister of Finance and the Accountant General should co-sign the financial statement”, she said.

She noted that in the nation’s Financial Regulations, “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has assigned to the Minister of Finance the responsibility for all financial business of the Federal Government.