The Auditor General of the Federation, Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine, has called on auditors-general at the federal, state and local government levels in the country to work in synergy, saying their close collaboration and cooperation will greatly enhance President Muhammadu Buhari’s war on corruption.
The auditor general gave this charge when the Conference of Auditors General for Local Governments in the federation, led by its Chairman, Barrister Reuben Osita Nwosu, paid him a courtesy visit at the Audit House in Abuja, on June 21, 2017.
Mr. Ayine said for the Office of the Auditor General to make the desired impact, be relevant and effective at all levels of government, there must be independence. He therefore, commended the move by the National Assembly on the proposed amendment for the independence of the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) and for similar offices in the states.
Mr. Ayine said he strongly supported the position, adding that that the National Assembly should also effect an amendment to specifically include the Office of Auditors General for Local Governments (AGLG) in the Constitution.
“This would not only guarantee the independence of the Office of the Auditor General for Local Government, but will give confidence and hence enhance job performance at that critical level of auditing for public accountability.
He noted that the House of Representatives had passed the Audit Bill presented to it by his office.
He said he was optimistic that the Senate would also concur and pass the Audit Bill into law in order to strengthen the performance of the OAuGF, to achieve professional, administrative and financial independence.
Mr. Ayine promised that once these things were done at the federal level, his office would work and collaborate with others to ensure that the same was replicated at the state and local government levels for the mutual benefit of Nigerians.
Earlier in his address, the Chairman of the Conference of Auditors General for Local Governments in the Federation, Barrister Nwosu, implored the auditor general to help to promote and sustain the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in Nigeria, which he said were about 73, and ensure uniformity in practice, transparency, accountability and peer-review mechanisms in the SAIs.
