AUDITOR-GENERAL PLANS WEEKLY AUDIT IN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

The Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Anthony Ayine says his office plans to send auditors to do weekly audit in government agencies to improve compliance in provision of reports. Ayine said this when he visited the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Muhammad Bello in Abuja on Monday. Ayine said that one of the purposes of sending auditors was to ensure completeness and timely rendition of accounts to the office of the Auditor-General. “Ideally, we expect to receive the Consolidated Financial Statements from government agencies on or before May 31, so that we can work on them promptly for accountability. This is because for accountability to be meaningful, timely preparation and submission of financial statement is key. We also have a mind of reintroducing internal auditors. The reintroduction will be of mutual benefit to us. Internal control is very important and internal audit is a key component of internal control. When you have an effective internal control, it can help to strengthen other controls in place. We will encourage that the internal audit be brought in, and will submit internal audit report to you and to us because it will help you to strengthen your internal controls and attention drawn to areas that needs immediate attention,” he said. Ayine also sought the minister’s assistance to create an additional exit point for the Audit House, location of the office of the Auditor-General for safety purposes. Ayine also sought permission of the FCT minister to convert the open space behind the Audit house into a parking lot for his members of staff. Responding, Bello expressed the willingness of his office to collaborate with the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. Bello said that although the reality was that every land within Abuja had already been allocated, his office would see how the Auditor-General’s request could be accommodated.