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Auditor General Uncovers N3.4trn Fraud In MDAs

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2 years ago

November 19, 2024

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The Office of Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) has said it uncovered financial infractions amounting to N3.4 trillion in several government Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) for the financial year ending December 31, 2021.

The alleged infractions reported in 28 audit issues are contained in the 2021 audit report of non-compliance/internal control weaknesses in the MDAs for the 2021 financial year.

The report was submitted to the National Assembly via a letter, dated October 15, 2024 by the Auditor General for the Federation (AuGF), Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira.

It said N2.902 trillion of the amount was incurred through the failure of eight agencies to recover outstanding government revenue with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc failing to recover N2.896 trillion.

In a letter addressed to the Clerk to the National Assembly, Chira said the infractions were part of what he called cross-cutting issues which he said were the same non-compliance/internal control weaknesses that were identified in at least four MDAs of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) covered by the Auditor-General for the Federation’s Annual Report on Non-compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses in MDAs of the FGN for the year ended December 31, 2021.

The AuGF said the attention of the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly had been drawn to the issues through recommendations, including sanctions, with a view to stemming the tide.

He said the issues were treated in details under each MDA.

Chira explained that the essence of putting the issues together was to further assist the Public Accounts Committees and other stakeholders to see, at a glance, the amount the report sought to help the Federal Government recover from a class of issues, tagged: ‘Cross-Cutting’.

The report, a copy of which was obtained by The Nation, said N7.386 billion was discovered as part of irregularities in the award of contracts by 32 MDAs with the Rural Electrification Agency, Abuja, having the highest infraction of N2.118 billion while the NSPMC had the least amount of N11.7 million.

The report alleged irregular payment of N115.675 billion by 64 MDAs with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Abuja, having the highest infraction of N96.2 billion while the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, had the least amount of N1.323 million.

The AuGF said N167.592 billion was found to be for contracts that were not executed by 31 MDAs in the year under reference with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading paying N100 billion, while the National Centre for Women Development paid the least amount for unexecuted contracts to the tune of N2.171 million.

The report said six MDAs failed to deduct Withholding Tax and Value Added Tax (VAT) amounting to N129.341 million as the accruing taxes to the government, with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) failing to deduct the highest tax amounting to N90.58 million, while the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment came last with N623,162.80.

It added that 21 MDAs failed to deduct N2.636 billion as tax from payments to several beneficiaries, with the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Pic (NSPMC) leading the pack with N41.009 billion, while the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta in Lagos, had the least amount of N617,427.66.

According to the report, 11 MDAs failed to remit N11.561 billion tax deducted from tax payers to the relevant tax authorities, with the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Plc (NSPMC), failing to remit the highest amount of N10.393 billion while the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina, failed to remit N1.371 million to come last.

The report also said that the sum of N8.312 billion was paid out by about 40 MDAs without supporting documents to back up the payment, with the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), being the biggest culprit with N1.529 billion while the, Federal College of Land Resources Technology, Owerri, has the least amount of N1.992 million.

It also alleged that eight MDAs misapplied N663,854,877.01 in contravention of extant laws, with the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, spending about N253,532,050.49 of the money, while 24 other MDAs awarded contracts worth N20.334 billion without following due process; the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Plc (NSPMC) was said to have awarded contracts valued at N14.136 billion without following due process.

According to the report, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) failed to recover about N69.928 billion as tax liabilities from 26 of its outstation offices within the period under review, while items valued at N968.908 billion were taken from the store by 29 MDAs without ledger charge with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Lagos, alone accounting for N125 billion of the items.

The audit report also said in 2021, 15 MDAs carried out extra-budgetary expenditure amounting to N15.786 billion with the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), accounting for N8.86 billion of the amount.

In addition, it said six MDAs carried out virement of about N2.63 billion without approval, with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) accounting for N1.9 billion of the amount, while about N122.5 billion was left unaccounted for by 19 MDAs, with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc failing to N111.601 billion of the amount.

The report also said about N6.602 billion was generated internally by 29 MDAs but not remitted to the appropriate authority, adding that the National Pension Commission withheld the highest amount of N4,429,550,386.58, while 35 MDAs circumvented the procurement process that caused the loss of N1,948,132,710.98.

It accused nine MDAs of paying external solicitors about N243,932,964.27 engaged without the Attorney-General’s Fiat with the Bureau of Public Procurement having the highest amount of N112,261,659.00, while another 5 MDAs paid some unspecified third parties about N439,688,368.76 without the attorney general’s approval.

Five MDAs reportedly awarded contracts valued at N2.407 billion and above their approval threshold with Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, having the highest amount of N1,065,614,232.70, while the workers and unauthorised persons in five MDAs illegally held on to government vehicles valued at N747,749,365.06, with the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) Plc, Abuja, having the highest amount of N413,343,623.00.

Other infractions reported by the AuGF include denial of access to documents with expenditure amount to N21,480,891,930.77 by 11 MDAs, unretired cash advances in 30 MDAs amounting to N1,300,643,209.41 and payment without vouchers amounting to N1,135,025,464.67, with the Federal Ministry of Works (Housing Sector) having the highest amount of N1,076,662,242.61.

The Nation

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Tinubu’s assent to FMC Oleh Bill ends decades of federal neglect, says IDU President

Published

2 minutes ago

July 16, 2026

EMMANUEL AGAJI

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The President of the Isoko Development Union (IDU), Prof. Chris Akpotu, has described President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the bill establishing the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Oleh, Delta State, as a historic milestone that ends decades of perceived federal neglect of the Isoko people.

Speaking on AIT’s Kaakaki programme on Thursday, Akpotu said the approval of the FMC had given the Isoko nation a renewed sense of belonging in the Nigerian federation after years of lacking meaningful federal presence.

He expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for signing the bill into law, saying the gesture had restored hope among the people of Delta South Senatorial District, particularly the Isoko ethnic nationality.

“This is one moment the people of Delta South Senatorial District, especially the Isoko people, will continue to celebrate because it reflects our long history of deprivation,” he said. “For once, we have been made to believe that we truly belong to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and now have a reason to celebrate federal presence in our land.”

Akpotu also commended Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, who represents Delta South Senatorial District, for sponsoring the bill, describing him as an effective representative who understood the developmental needs of his constituents.

He further praised the Nigerian Senate for passing the legislation and acknowledged the role played by lawmakers in ensuring its eventual assent by the President.

“When the bill was passed by the Senate, we hoped it would not end like many others that never received presidential assent. We thank God that President Tinubu renewed our hope by signing it into law,” he said.

According to the IDU president, the establishment of the Federal Medical Centre would significantly improve healthcare delivery in Delta South while creating employment opportunities during its construction and subsequent operation.

He noted that beyond providing quality healthcare services, the hospital would generate jobs for construction workers, medical professionals and other support staff, thereby boosting the local economy.

Akpotu lamented that despite Isoko’s enormous contribution to Nigeria’s economy through oil and gas production, the ethnic nationality had received little in terms of federal appointments and infrastructure over the years.

“You cannot discuss Nigeria’s GDP or foreign reserves without acknowledging the contributions of the Isoko people. Yet, for decades, we have had little or no federal presence to celebrate,” he said.

He added that the people had neither produced a minister nor headed major federal agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), making the establishment of the FMC particularly significant.

The IDU president appealed to President Tinubu to facilitate the immediate commencement of construction work on the project to ensure that the benefits of the legislation are quickly realised.

He assured that the Isoko Development Union would continue to engage relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the project.

“We appeal to Mr. President to ensure early commencement of construction so that this historic gesture translates into tangible benefits for our people. The IDU will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure the project comes to fruition,” Akpotu said.

News

If Umahi’s daughter was found naked and dead in a poor man’s house Nigeria would’ve been on fire-Dalung

Published

58 minutes ago

July 16, 2026

EMMANUEL AGAJI

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Ex- Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has criticised what he described as double standards in the investigation into the death of physiotherapist Mary Habila, saying the public response would have been entirely different if the victim had been the daughter of a government official

Dalung made the remark while reacting to the controversy surrounding Habila’s death at the country residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Speaking in a video shared on social media, the former minister questioned the pace and manner of the investigation, arguing that ordinary Nigerians are often subjected to harsher scrutiny than powerful public office holders.

“If Umahi’s daughter had been found naked in a poor man’s house, Nigeria would be burning,” Dalung said, suggesting that the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death would have attracted a different level of public outrage and official response if the roles had been reversed.

Mary Habila, a 26-year-old physiotherapist from Kaduna State, was found dead at Umahi’s residence on June 27, 2026. She was reportedly attached to the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences and had been seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works.

Umahi has since confirmed the incident, describing Habila as a dedicated member of staff who had worked with him for about three years. He said emergency medical personnel were contacted immediately after she was found unresponsive and disclosed that he advised the family to consent to an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

The minister has repeatedly denied allegations of any cover-up, insisting that he has nothing to hide and supports a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the physiotherapist’s death.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force transferred the case to the Ebonyi State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation, as public interest in the incident continues to grow.

Dalung’s remarks add to the increasing calls for transparency and accountability in the investigation, with many Nigerians demanding that the case be thoroughly investigated and that its outcome be made public regardless of the status of those involved.