AGF threatens to close non-compliant MDAs in treasury releases

Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Ahmed Idris, has threatened to close down Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that are not compliant with laid down rules.

He expressed concern that some MDAs were in the habit of rejecting treasury officials deployed to them from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF).

The Head of Information at the OAGF, Mr. Oise D. Johnson gave this warning in a statement yesterday in Abuja.

Idris warned that henceforth, such agencies would be cut off from the funds, because they are not prepared to be financially disciplined and accountable.

He said this practice was contrary to the laid down bureaucracy regulations, adding: “MDAs that are in the habit of rejecting treasury officials should desist from such, or be ready to face the consequences.

He spoke when the Acting Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Dr. Aliyu Maje Adanan, visited him in his office.

He said: “The OAGF has been vested with the mandate of handling all payments and receipts on behalf of government. It should be noted that treasury officials have been specially trained and equipped to perform these functions in MDAs, in line with financial regulations and extant rules.”

According to him, the principle of transparency and accountability, which this administration stands for, must be done in practical terms according to international best practices.

He stressed that these principles ensure that one is not allowed to be a judge in his own case.

He said it is the role of treasury officers to manage the finance and accounts departments, as well as the internal audit units in MDAs.

The AGF further explained that internal auditors are sent to the MDAs to ensure that funds are spent in line with laid down procedures and due processes.
Idris said the ability of the internal auditor to perform his function as expected, is predicted on his independence, which must be practical.

“The auditor cannot be said to be independent when he is employed and paid by the same organisation, as it could lead to compromise.”

Adnan acknowledge that the AGF had made significant achievements since he was appointed in 2015.

He listed the achievements as: “Improvement in the performance of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), and subsequent saving of huge amount of money and its introduction to some states of the federation.”