Senate reads riot act to MDAs over audited accounts 

The Senate on Tuesday threatened to take punitive measures against government agencies that are not up to date with their audited accounts.

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, issued the warning during a debate on Nigeria Customs Service 2020 budget report submitted by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariffs, Francis Alimikhena (Edo North).

Lawan said it was a “sad commentary” that MDAs have not been submitting their audited accounts to the National Assembly, calling the act unacceptable.

He warned that the Senate would take a drastic action against any agency that fails to submit its up-to-date audited account.

He said failure to account for what was given in the previous year “is to say that you are not prepared to take a new budget.”

“It is a sad commentary that the agencies of government have not been submitting their audited accounts. This is unacceptable, and I think we need to take drastic action here.

“This is a new dawn. We have passed budget last year and the implementation of the budget has started. We expect every MDA to present their audited accounts before the end of the year.

“If any agency refuses or fails without any cogent reason, we have every reason to take a drastic action when it comes to appropriation, because not to account for what you were given in the previous year is to say that you are not prepared to take a new budget.

“I’m advising MDAs especially those ones that are not up to date with their audited accounts to do so, because we could decide as a National Assembly to take punitive measures against agencies of government that are not up to date with their audited accounts.”