N100bn Audit Query: Reps give FCT area councils seven-day final ultimatum
By Gift ChapiOdekina,Abuja
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a seven-day final summons to officials of the six Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils over outstanding audit queries involving about N100 billion.
The committee’s action followed the failure of the six Area Council chairmen to honour its invitation to appear and respond to financial queries contained in the Auditor-General’s reports.
The affected councils are Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali.
The chairmen had requested September 22, 2026, as the date for their appearance, but failed to attend the sitting or send representatives.
Consequently, the committee summoned the Directors of Personnel Management and Finance, as well as Heads of Audit of the six councils, to appear before it on October 14, 2026, or face sanctions in line with relevant service rules.
Chairman of the PAC, Rep. Bamidele Salam, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
Salam said the committee had repeatedly invited the councils to provide explanations and supporting documents needed to resolve the audit queries.
“The last date of appearance of the Abuja Area Councils was September 22, 2026, which was a date they requested for and which was graciously granted by the committee. Yet, they failed to appear or send in any representation.
“The committee has therefore decided to issue summons to the Directors of Personnel Management and Finance of these local governments, including their Heads of Audit, to appear without fail on Wednesday, October 14, failure of which they will be made to bear consequences according to service rules,” he said.
The queries are contained in the Annual Audit Report of the Auditor-General for the Six FCT Area Councils for the year ended December 31, 2021.
According to the report, the councils had outstanding liabilities of about N7.65 billion arising from unremitted pension deductions, Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Value Added Tax (VAT), withholding tax and unpaid obligations to contractors.
AMAC accounted for the highest liability at N2.19 billion, followed by Bwari with N1.49 billion and Kwali with N1.46 billion.
Gwagwalada had N1.01 billion in outstanding liabilities, while Kuje and Abaji had N892.2 million and N593.8 million respectively.
The Auditor-General said the liabilities were due for remittance to the Nigeria Revenue Service, FCT Inland Revenue Service, Pension Fund Administrators and contractors.
The report also raised concerns over the councils’ management of fixed assets, particularly the failure to properly maintain and update asset registers.
Gwagwalada was specifically queried over non-current assets valued at N336 million, whose ledger records, according to the report, were not properly maintained and updated.
The Auditor-General warned that the poor record-keeping could create room for assets to be lost without being traced, adding that the lapse was common among the FCT Area Councils.
The PAC is also demanding explanations and supporting documents on N24.87 billion spent by the six councils on personnel, overheads and capital expenditure in 2021.
AMAC accounted for N5.03 billion, Gwagwalada N4.66 billion, Kuje N3.85 billion, Kwali N3.84 billion, Bwari N3.74 billion and Abaji N3.71 billion.
Salam disclosed that the committee had uncovered additional concerns in the audit reports for 2022 and part of 2023, including alleged understatement of Internally Generated Revenue, unauthorised disposal of assets, non-disclosure of statutory revenue and failure to remit withholding tax.
He also said the councils had failed to audit and submit their financial accounts for 2023, 2024 and 2025, contrary to statutory requirements.
The lawmaker said the committee would insist on transparency and accountability in the management of public resources, stressing that officials found culpable would be held responsible in accordance with the law.
The post N100bn Audit Query: Reps give FCT area councils seven-day final ultimatum appeared first on Vanguard News.
This post was originally published on this site
