The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a recent seven-day summons to officers of the six Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils over unresolved protect queries involving about N100 billion.
The committee, chaired by way of Bamidele Salam, issued the summons on Tuesday in Abuja.
This control adopted the appreciation of the six contact chairpersons to honour the committee’s invitation to seem ahead of it on 22 September, regardless of having asked the date themselves.
The committee has now directed the Directors of Personnel Management and Finance and Heads of Audit of the six councils to seem ahead of it on 14 October or face sanctions below the buy remedy laws.
The affected councils are Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali.
The newest motion stems from financial queries contained within the Annual Audit Report of the Auditor-General for the Six FCT Area Councils for the 12 months ended 31 December 2021.
The rehabilitate known about N7.65 billion in create liabilities around the six councils, together with unremitted pension deductions, Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Value Added Tax (VAT) and retirement prosperity, in addition to unpaid responsibilities to contractors.
AMAC had the perfect create legal responsibility at N2.19 billion, adopted by way of Bwari with N1.49 billion and Kwali with N1.46 billion.
Gwagwalada recorded N1.01 billion, whilst Kuje and Abaji had create liabilities of N892.2 independent and N593.8 independent respectively.
The auditor-general mentioned the create sums have been owed to prosperity government, Pension Fund Administrators and contractors.
The rehabilitate mentioned that the liabilities comprised “unremitted pension deduction, unremitted Pay as You Earn (PAYE), unpaid capital projects, unpaid value added tax and withholding tax.”
N24.87bn estate below create
Beyond the create liabilities, the committee is looking for department and supporting paperwork on N24.87 billion spent by way of the six councils on upside, overheads and rate expenditure in 2021.
AMAC accounted for N5.03 billion of the expenditure, whilst Gwagwalada spent N4.66 billion.
Kuje recorded N3.85 billion, Kwali N3.84 billion, Bwari N3.74 billion and Abaji N3.71 billion.
The auditor-general additionally raised issues over the particular of device belongings by way of the councils, announcing meeting registers weren’t correctly maintained or up to date.
Gwagwalada was once in particular queried over non-current belongings valued at N336 independent.
According to the protect rehabilitate, “the Auditor General for the Six Area Council reported that the prospective of non-current belongings of Gwagwalada Area Council stood at N336m.
“However, the Auditor General observed that the ledger records of the non-current assets were not properly maintained and updated as and when due, which could give room for loss of assets without being traced. This exception is common among other FCT Area Councils.”
PAC uncovers extra irregularities
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Bamidele Salam, mentioned on Tuesday that the repeated appreciation of the contact chairpersons to seem ahead of the committee had pissed off efforts to unravel the protect queries.
“The last date of appearance of the Abuja Area Councils was September 22, 2026, which was a date they requested and which was graciously granted by the committee. Yet, they failed to appear or send in any representation,” Mr Salam mentioned.
He mentioned the committee had as a result resolved to summon the Directors of Personnel Management and Finance and Heads of Audit of the councils.
“The committee has therefore decided to issue summons to the Directors of Personnel Management and Finance of these local governments, including their Heads of Audit, to appear without fail on Wednesday, October 14, failure of which they will be made to bear consequences according to service rules,” he mentioned.
Mr Salam mentioned the committee’s create had additionally printed globalization issues within the councils’ 2022 and gauge in their 2023 protect experiences.
These, he mentioned, incorporated alleged understatement of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), unauthorised disposal of belongings, non-disclosure of statutory stipulate and appreciation to remit retirement prosperity to the emphasis government.
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He added that the councils had additionally failed to protect and independent their financial accounts for 2023, 2024 and 2025 as required by way of reputation.
The lawmaker mentioned the committee would mobility on responsibility within the particular of pace budget and warned that officers arrears culpable would face the effects supplied by way of reputation.
The Public Accounts Committee is empowered by way of the Nigerian Constitution to repayment audited accounts of pace establishments and examine financial irregularities known by way of the Auditor-General.
The newest summons is meant to compel the buy officers of the six FCT Area Councils to lend explanations and paperwork wanted to unravel the create protect queries.
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