By HABEEBAT AJAYI
As part of its mandate to scrutinize public finances with a view to ensuring value for money, the Ogun State House of Assembly has directed the Office of the Accountant General to furnish with all details on special projects and assignments carried out by the State Ministry of Special Duties to the tune of N22 billion between year 2015 and 2019.
The Assembly through its Committee on Public Accounts and Anti-corruption led by Musefiu Lamidi, issued the directive while taking on some past and retired management staff of the ministry including some Permanent Secretaries and other Directors, who served in the Ministry between 2013 and 2020, at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Lamidi also called on the Accountant General to avail the House Committee with documents including release warrant, payment vouchers, authorization invoice and receipts on the construction and provision of electricity which gulped N513, 745, 670: 41 and was unknown to the officials in the ministry.
The Committee Chairman in company of his Deputy, Abdul Bashir Oladunjoye, Adeyemi Ademuyiwa Ganiyu Oyedeji, Kunle Sobunkanla and Olusola Adams sought the need for an improved working relationships between the offices of the Accountant General and Auditor General towards ensuring seamless reconciliation of all accounts of Ministry, Departments and Agencies on a monthly basis to aid accountability and transparency.
Earlier in his response, the former, Director, Finance and Account, Mr. Agbolade Osiboyejo told the lawmaker that his office was only issued a transcript on the affected transactions to the tune of N7bn with no release warrant to give detailed explanations on the projects, adding that the fund was expended and paid on behalf the Ministry from the office of the Accountant General.
He added that the Ministry only received figures of expenditures at the end of every financial year with no supporting details from Office of the Accountant General which made it difficult to keep an up-to-date Department Vote Expenditure Account (DVEA).
Also speaking, the former Director of Administration and Supplies, Mr. Kola Ogunlana disclosed that acute shortage of record keepers brought about the maximization of officers on other cadre ( clerical and executive cadres) with no requisite knowledge to manage the Ministry’s store.
