The Senate on Tuesday, began consideration of the 2016 Auditor-General’s report. This is even as the panel on Public Accounts indicted 37 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for violation of financial procedures.

The consideration of the report was tabled on the floor of the Senate by the Chairman, Senate Public Accounts Committee, Matthew Uhroghide.

Consideration of the report was, however, deferred till Wednesday to enable senators scrutinise the report properly.

In the report, 92 MDAs were issued queries , 80 of which submitted written responses and appeared before the committee to defend them, but did not appear before the committee.committee.

Four failed to either appear or submit written responses to the committee despite several reminders.

Out of the 80 MDAs that appeared before the committee, 43 had their queries vacated, while the queries of 37 MDAs were sustained and recommendations accordingly presented to the Senate.

Those that failed to submit written submission before the Panel are Federal Ministry of Health, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, National Orthopedic Hospital , Kano , Nigeria National Merit Award, Abuja.

Government agencies that submitted report but failed to appear are Federal Ministry of Works , Power and Housing (Works Sector), Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Nigeria Police Force , Nigerian Press Council , National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Federal Dental Clinic, Broad Street, Lagos , National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Federal University of Technology, Minna.

Meanwhile, following the auditing of salaries of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) saves the Federal Government over N400 billion yearly.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day training for salary inspectors, in Abuja, the Chairman of NSIWC, Mr Ekpo Nta, disclosed that from 2016 to 2022, there was a sharp rise in personnel cost totalling N20.76 trillion.

According to him, in 2016, the total personnel cost was N1.69 trillion. In 2017, it rose to N2.90 trillion and in 2018, it got to N2.97 trillion.

Equally, in N2019 and N2020, the cost went from N2.29 trillion and N3.05 trillion respectively.

Similarly, in 2021 and 2022 the rise shot to N3.75 trillion and N4.11 trillion respectively.

Nta urged the salary inspectors to ascertain the compliance of public service establishments with the government’s staff compensation policy.

They should also identify infractions by establishments against government’s pay policy and take measures to correct them.

Apart from identifying specific problems of salary administration, they are to gather data on remuneration policies and practices of government agencies to enrich the commission’s database on staff compensation.

“The commission has through this inspection and other activities in the past saved the government over N400 billion per year which would have been abused, wasted or misappropriated” he said.

The chairman of the commission also noted that the personnel cost in the 2023 appropriation act is over N4.9 trillion while the overhead cost (made up of more than 50 per cent of non-regular allowances and fringe benefits) is over N1 trillion.

“It’s through salary inspection that the commission monitors the implementation of this personnel cost and non-regular allowances/fringe benefits components of overhead cost to reduce financial leakage and abuse” Nta explained. (Daily Sun)

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