THE House of Representatives, on Wednesday, gave the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum within which to forward to the National Assembly, the forensic audit report on the alleged missing $20 billion, being the unremitted revenues by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to the Federation Account.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, on Wednesday, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, Honourable Olamilekan Adeola Solomon, said the report of the forensic audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which must include “the initial draft report, the executive summary and management/internal control letters, should be forwarded to the National Assembly not later than one week from today.”
Adeola disclosed that the House took the action cognisant of a motion moved by the minority leader, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, to enable the two chambers of the National Assembly to perform their legislative functions on the report, as enshrined in the constitution.
According to him, “the report has been unduly delayed and its submission sidestepped the Auditor-General of the Federation. It is a professional best practice that such reports first come in draft, discussed and fine-tuned before the release of the official report usually accompanied by the more detailed ‘management letter.’”
He pointed out that “for credibility and reliance, the minimum was to get the Auditor General of the Federation to receive and own the report,” adding that “by virtue of Section 85(6) of the Constitution, the Auditor-General ought not to be directed by Mr President to deal with the report in a particular matter.”
According to him, “several weeks have passed, several demands have been made by this committee and a resolution of the House has been passed, demanding the full report, but we have not been given. It is important to address the curious issues in this saga.”
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