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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised concerns that inadequate funding for the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF) undermines accountability and fosters corruption. The warning came during a budget defense session with the OAuGF yesterday.
PAC Chairman, Bamidele Salam, urged the Federal Government to prioritise sufficient appropriation for the office, stressing that adequate funding would enhance its capacity to execute its constitutional mandate and prevent wasteful spending, corruption, and mismanagement of public resources.
Salam highlighted the stark contrast between Nigeria’s 2026 budget of N58.4 trillion and the Auditor-General’s proposed budget of just N6 billion. “The office of the Auditor-General for the Federation is meant to ensure that public funds are well spent and properly audited. And all they have to do is audit the sum which is less than N6 billion. For those who can do math, consider what percentage that is of the total budget,” he said.
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He added that the constitutional role of the Auditor-General, enshrined in Section 85, is critical for ensuring value for money, yet the office remains severely under-resourced. Salam noted that the office requested N16 billion for overhead costs but has been allocated only N5.6 billion.
In his presentation, Auditor-General Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira explained that limited release of appropriated funds hampered operational efficiency in 2025.
He noted that for auditing foreign missions, the office requested N3.4 billion, but the Budget Office set a ceiling of just N633,849,824 for 2026.
The PAC emphasised that strengthening the Auditor-General’s office is essential for promoting transparency and ensuring that public funds are efficiently managed.
