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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to explain the alleged withdrawal of ₦15 billion from the account of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
The committee also requested details of unremitted operating surpluses and other revenues allegedly owed the Federal Government by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other government agencies.
The directives were issued on Tuesday when the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, appeared before the committee as part of its ongoing investigation into the management of public funds.
Speaking at the hearing, PAC Chairman Bamidele Salam said UBEC and several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) had complained that funds allocated to them were deducted by the OAGF and used for other government obligations without prior notice.
Salam said the committee’s investigation revealed allegations that UBEC suffered significant deductions from its statutory allocations.
«“There is an ongoing investigation involving UBEC and other agencies. In the course of the investigation, UBEC claimed that there was a shortfall in the release of its approved Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) for November 2025. The commission also alleged that about ₦15 billion was withdrawn from its account and has yet to be refunded,” he said.»
According to him, similar complaints have been received from other agencies, including the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
«“UBEC is complaining, NASENI is complaining, NBC is also complaining. We have more than six agencies under investigation making similar allegations that funds meant for their statutory responsibilities were withdrawn from their accounts,” Salam stated.»
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The committee chairman expressed concern that the alleged deductions were affecting the ability of the affected agencies to carry out their statutory mandates.
He noted that the depletion of UBEC’s funds could undermine efforts to improve basic education, particularly at a time when Nigeria is grappling with a high number of out-of-school children.
«“UBEC is responsible for constructing schools, providing educational infrastructure and supplying instructional materials. These responsibilities are being affected because funds statutorily allocated to the commission are allegedly being diverted for other purposes,” he said.»
Responding, Ogunjimi acknowledged that the OAGF occasionally accesses idle funds belonging to government agencies to meet urgent financial obligations of the Federal Government but insisted that such funds are treated as temporary loans and are refunded.
«“There are instances where government needs funds to meet critical financial obligations. In such situations, we temporarily borrow from agencies with idle balances, with the intention of refunding the money. We have done so in the past and have consistently refunded the affected agencies,” he said.»
The Accountant-General explained that the OAGF does not arbitrarily withdraw funds from agency accounts, noting that such actions are undertaken only after due analysis and on the directive of the Minister of Finance.
«“The Accountant-General cannot simply withdraw money from the accounts of agencies. The directive comes from the Honourable Minister after assessing funds that have remained unutilised for a considerable period.»
«“For example, where funds have remained idle for several months and government faces pressing financial obligations, the decision may be taken to utilise those funds temporarily, with a commitment to refund them when required.»
“In the case of TETFund, we borrowed over ₦300 billion and have fully refunded the amount. Whenever an agency requires its funds, the necessary processes are initiated to ensure prompt reimbursement,” Ogunjimi said.
