Audit Effectiveness Number 2

Introduction

This second volume of Audit Effectiveness reviews four key issues vis; The Imperative of a New Audit Legislation; Follow-up on Audit Recommendations; Auditing of Public Accounts -the Missing Links and Timeliness of Audit Reports. These are critical issues for audit reforms and the bill proposing reforms to extant audit practice and process needs to incorporate key reforms in these areas.

The Imperative Of A New Audit Legislation
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended (“Constitution”) in s.85 (1) and (2) establishes the office of the Auditor-General for the Federation with powers to audit the public accounts of all offices and courts of the Federation. The equivalent provision for states is S. 125 (1) and (2) of the Constitution. Constitutional provisions on the auditing of public accounts are limited to independence, tenure, remuneration, submission of audit reports to the Public Accounts Committees (“PACs”) of the National Assembly and powers in relation to the audit of government statutory corporations, agencies and commissions. The Constitution did not go into the definition of processes and procedures, coverage, ambit and other details of the audit function. These need to be fleshed out by subsequent legislation.
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Follow-up On Audit Recommendations
The current auditing function appears to be a frustrating exercise in report writing. The Auditor-General produces a report which is sent to the Public Accounts Committees (PACs) of the legislature. The PACs conduct their hearings, conduct investigations if necessary, conclude their deliberations and produce yet another report. What happens to the recommendations in the first and second reports? Available evidence shows that audit recommendations are treated with levity by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Despite the provisions of the Financial Regulations 2000, there is hardly a follow-up on the recommendations. This sets the stage for the year after year reoccurrence of the same set of “financial felonies and misdemeanours” by MDAs.
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Auditing of Public Accounts -The Missing Links
The office of the Auditor-General of the Federation needs a supportive institutional environment in which audit issues can be taken seriously and identified flagrant abuses remedied. In this direction, the collaboration of the Public Accounts Committee of the legislature (PAC), anti-corruption agencies, the media, non governmental organizations and other aspects of civil society, collectively dubbed “Pillars of Integrity” is imperative. The Auditor-General will be effective to the extent that these vital pillars collaborate to promote accountability and transparency in governance and financial management.
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Timeliness Of Audit Reports
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 in s.85 (5) mandates the Auditor-General of the Federation within ninety days of receiving the Accountant-General’s financial statements to submit his audit report to the legislature. However, the Constitution did not set a time limit within which the Accountant-General is to submit the financial statement to the Auditor-General. Also, the Finance (Control and Management) Act in s.24 merely mandates the Accountant-General to sign and present to the Auditor-General accounts showing fully the financial position of the government on the last day of each financial year. The Act failed to assign a time line for the performance of this act.
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