It was a show of shame when Bursar of the University of Ibadan, Michael Alatishe, categorically told members of the House of Representatives’ Public Accounts Committee that his institution audited accounts was inconclusive as the external Auditor engaged to do it became blind on the job and eventually died
Mr Alatishe made shocking revelation in Abuja before the Committee investigating the alleged deliberate and reckless refusal by non Treasury Funded MDAs to render audited accounts to the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation
The Chairman of the committee, Hon Wole Oke had earlier called upon the representative of the University to explain why the Institution had refused to remit its audited Accounts for years and the Busar after being put on oath as he Started narrating story.
He stated that the external first developed eyes problem which resulted to total blindness and he later died , thus disrupting the auditing of the Institution’s Accounts
However, the Committee queried the Busar why the said blind external Auditor was still being paid retainership by the University as recent as last year despite his reported death
The Committee expressed shock as to the authenticity or otherwise of the claim of the Bursar whom they accused of taking the House, and by extension, the country for a ride.
At this stage, the Committee stepped down the University’s matter and ordered a full investigation into its activities.
This came just as the Committee on Thursday resolved to probe the activities of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, over its failure to submit its audited Accounts to the Auditor General of the Federation from 2014 till date
The Committee took decision when the Director General of the Agency, Hon Dakuku Peterside who appeared before it could not give satisfactory explanations were the audited Accounts were not remitted to the appropriate quarters as at when due.
The Committee had on Monday ordered Hon Dakuku Peterside to appear before it within 48hours over the inability of Agency to submit its audit accounts in the last four years failure which a bench of warrant of arrest would be issued against him.
It described the explanations of a Director who represented the DG that the audited report for the period under review was ready but that it has not been approved by the Board of the Agency as unacceptable and after thought
However when the NIMASA Boss appeared before the Committee on Thursday he stood his ground and insisted that reports in question were by were yet to be approved and signed by the Board of the Agency.
He said that hr met accumulated unaudited Accounts of the Agency when he resumed as the DG and that he had stated clearing the backlogs of unaudited Accounts for accountability
The Chairman of the Committee, Rep Oluwole Oke at this stage stated that the submission of the DG amounted to say that no audited Accounts of the Agency was submitted before the Auditor General of the Federation as required by the law
The Committee frowned at the submission of Hon Peterside who they said as a former member of the National Assembly ought to a shining examples to other Agencies by rendering financial Accounts of his Agency on time.
Consequently the Committee resolved to probe the Agency and placed it on status enquiry for a comprehensive auditing to ascertain its financial status.
In a related development, the Committee grilled the Vice Chancellors of several Federal Universities on their financial Accounts from 2014 till date and their remittances to the Auditor General of the Federation.
Some of the affected institutions are the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, University of Jos, University Ilorin, University of Ibadan, University of Benin and the Federal University of Lokoja amongst others.
The Committee resolved to place some of the Universities on status enquiry following some irregularities discovered in the documents submitted before it.
