Agric College Alleged Mismanagement Of N633m Audit Report Upheld By Senate
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has sustained the report of the Auditor General of the Federation, (AuGF), over the alleged mismanagement of N633 million by the Federal College of Agriculture, Moore Plantation, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Mathew Urhogbide (PDP, Edo South), on Wednesday in Abuja said the panel took the decision following the failure of the Institution to appear and defend the allegation.
The queries are contained in the 2018 report of the AuGF submitted to the National Assembly.
The Senate panel, according to the chairman, disclosed that a series of invitations were sent to the College authorities for appearance and presentation of defence or otherwise and none was honoured.
We are going to take the position of the Auditor General of the Federation on the Federal College of Agriculture, Moore Plantation, Ibadan since they failed to appear after being invited.
They have been sent a reminder, they have up to 15 queries to respond to in the 2018 Auditor General’s report. The head of this agency knows the consequences. If there is any refund in the queries, it must be made to the government purse,” Senator Urhoghide stressed.
From the records available,the queries range from the payment of N59.8 million which could not be traced to the College’s store record,to irregularities in the award of N23 million contract,to non-remittance of N97 million Internally Generated Revenue,to award of contract to the tune of N32 million which was above the approval threshold,to irregularities in the award of N193 million contract and N247 million payment without adequate supporting documents.
Others are payment vouchers of N22 million not presented for audit, payment of N1.2 million in violation of federal government e-payment policy, payment of N9 million for consultancy fee without due process,non-deduction of statutory Value Added Tax, VAT and Withholding Tax of N4.4 million.
The College, however, reportedly failed to submit any response to the query which was issued five years ago.
