By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has invited the Auditor-General of the Federation, Minister of Finance and Minister of Agriculture over the expenditure of funds released for agricultural programmes between 2015 and 2025.
This was followed by what lawmakers described as unsatisfactory documentation and gaps in accountability records presented during a hearing of the Ad-hoc Committee investigating Agricultural Subsidies, Intervention Funds, Aids and Grants Programmes committee on Tuesday at the National Assembly. 
Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Jamo Aminu, expressed displeasure over the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to provide audit reports on several agricultural subsidy and intervention programmes within the period under review.
According to the Chairman, the investigation is part of ongoing efforts to scrutinise public spending in the agricultural sector amid concerns over food insecurity, rising food prices and questions surrounding the effectiveness of past intervention programmes.
He said that the committee expected a comprehensive audit documentation to enable it “track disbursements, utilisation and outcomes of the various schemes designed to boost food production, support farmers and strengthen national food security”.
He said: “We cannot effectively carry out this investigation without proper audit records. These funds span a decade and involve critical national programmes”.
He emphasised that transparency and accountability were non-negotiable.
But a representative from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, who is also a Deputy Director, Mohammed Adamu, explained that the delay in producing the reports was due to non-availability of key documents from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
Adamu said the Office of the Auditor-General had severally requested relevant records on agricultural subsidies, grants, aids and intervention programmes but had yet to receive the required cooperation.
“The primary source of these documents is the Ministry of Agriculture. Without those records, concluding the audit process has been difficult,” he said.
He urged the lawmakers to widen the scope of the investigation to include the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance, noting that both ministries play central roles in the release, management and oversight of the funds.
Following the exchange, the committee directed the Auditor-General of the Federation, alongside the Ministers of Agriculture and Finance or their designated representatives, to appear before it on Feb. 3.
The committee cautioned that failure to honour the invitation would attract legislative sanctions in line with the powers of the National Assembly.
