• Demand details of CBN, NNPCL’s unremitted operating surplus
• Apex bank owing N5.3tr, says OAGF
• FG launches digital reform platforms to track performance of agencies

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has queried the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) over alleged unauthorised deductions from funds belonging to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The concerns were raised when the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, appeared before the committee during an investigative hearing.

Chairman of the committee, Bamidele Salam, said that agencies, including the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), had complained about deductions from their accounts, which they claimed affected their ability to carry out statutory mandates.

Responding, Ogunjimi admitted that funds had been taken from the accounts of some agencies but insisted that the action was neither arbitrary nor unlawful.

The accountant-general explained that such decisions were based on directives from the Minister of Finance and followed a review of funds that had remained unutilised for extended periods.

Salam said that several agencies under investigation had maintained that the deductions had not been refunded.

Also responding, Director of Revenue and Investment in the OAGF, Makinde Mogaji, disclosed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) allegedly owed the Federal Government N5.3 trillion in unremitted operating surplus.

The committee subsequently directed the OAGF to provide details of unremitted operating surplus and other outstanding revenues owed the Federal Government by the CBN, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other agencies, as well as records relating to deductions and refunds involving affected MDAs.

MEANWHILE, the Federal Government, yesterday, launched three digital platforms aimed at strengthening the monitoring, implementation and evaluation of public sector reforms, with a directive that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should adopt the new tools to improve accountability and service delivery.

The platforms, the Reform Tracker Dashboard, the Knowledge Repository and the National Strategy for Public Service Reform (NSPSR) Dashboard, were unveiled by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, at his office in Abuja.

Akume described the platforms as an integrated digital ecosystem that would transform how reforms are monitored, documented and communicated across the federal public service, saying that they reflect the Tinubu administration’s commitment to building a transparent, technology-driven and results-oriented public service.

He said the reform tracker dashboard would provide a credible mechanism for monitoring reform milestones, implementation timelines and key performance indicators across government institutions, while the knowledge repository would serve as government’s central digital library for reform policies, reports, strategies and other knowledge products.

According to him, the NSPSR dashboard would provide decision-makers with a real-time visual representation of the National Strategy for Public Service Reform’s implementation, enabling the government to identify implementation gaps, monitor progress, and make informed policy decisions.

Akume, therefore, urged all government institutions to embrace the digital tools to strengthen monitoring and evaluation of public sector reforms and improve service delivery to citizens.

Earlier, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dr Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi, said the platforms were developed to address longstanding challenges that had undermined public sector reforms, including poor coordination, inconsistent reporting standards, fragmented implementation and weak institutional memory.