Centre Faults Tinubu Over Delay Signing Federal Audit Service Bill

By Anthony Otaru, Abuja

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has criticized President Bola Tinubu for withholding assent to the Federal Audit Service Bill, describing the delay as a major setback to public accountability, fiscal discipline and anti-corruption reforms.

The organization said the President had neither signed the bill into law nor publicly communicated any reason for withholding assent months after the National Assembly transmitted it.

Lead Director of the Centre for Social Justice, Eze Onyekpere, made the position known in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday.

“Our concern is that for months after the bill was sent for presidential assent, the President has not given assent and it is not in the public domain that he sent a letter to the National Assembly stating his reasons for declining assent to the bill,” Onyekpere said.

According to him, the proposed legislation would strengthen the independence of public sector auditing, broaden the scope of audits, improve enforcement powers, and align Nigeria’s audit systems with international best practices.

He urged the leadership of the National Assembly to immediately engage the President on the matter and where necessary, invoke its constitutional powers to override the withholding of assent.

“If the National Assembly is convinced that the bill as passed is in the best interest of Nigeria, it should override assent and pass the bill again by a two-thirds majority in accordance with Section 58(5) of the Constitution.”

Onyekpere argued that the legislation is urgently needed because Nigeria currently lacks a modern federal audit law.

He explained that the Audit Ordinance of 1956, which the bill seeks to replace, is obsolete and was not reproduced in subsequent editions of the Laws of the Federation, making comprehensive audit reforms imperative.

The CSJ maintained that enacting the bill would improve transparency in public finance management, reduce corruption and enhance the overall performance of government institutions.