Group urges Tinubu to appoint AuGF to checkmate corruption
Eric James Ochigbo
Defenders of Constitutional Democracy (DCD), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has called on President Bola Tinubu to expedite action on the appointment of a substantive Auditor- General for the Federation (AuGF).
The National Chairman of DCD, Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu, made the call in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Aliyu said that the vacuum created as a result of the absence of a substantive AuGF had prevented the country’s efforts in effective auditing of agencies of government.
According to him, the vacuum can allow corruption to fester in the public service.
He said that Nigeria had been operating without a substantive AuGF since the retirement of Mr Adolphus Aghughu in September 2022.
“After his retirement, the Federal Civil Service Commission advertised the position on 11th August, 2022, but the process was inchoate.
“Instead, we now have an anomaly where an overseeing director was appointed, who has been operating since then.
“We urge President Bola Tinubu, who is a professional accountant and auditor himself, to revisit the process, conclude it and immediately appoint an Auditor-General for the Federation to save the nation from this embarrassment and the damage it is doing to the nation’s public finances,” he said.
Aliyu said that the absence of a substantive AuGF had also halted the operations of the Public Accounts Committees of both chambers of the National Assembly.
According to him, the report of the AuGF for the last three years has been in abeyance and has not been filed in the National Assembly; this is an aberration.
“This vacuum in the position of AuGF is promoting corruption in the system and we feel this is not good for an administration that has an obsession for transparency, accountability and zero tolerance for corruption.
“As defenders of democracy, we appeal to you to immediately re-energised the process, which commenced on August 2022 and appoint the rightful candidate,” he said.
Aliyu advised that special attention be paid to the process to ensure that the right thing is done and the deserving candidate is appointed.
