Matters Arising: Assembly Demands Audited Account
● Directs Its Committee on Public Accounts to find out why the House is yet to get it;
● Discusses amendment of Chieftaincy Law;
● Waits for Govt to submit its Medium Term Expenditure Framework
By Harrison Edeh
Governor Siminalayi Fubara (L) and Speaker Martins Amaewhule (R)…time by both arms of government to follow due process.
Hon. Major Jack, Majority Leader is the Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts. The Rivers House of Assembly says it is waiting for the office of the State Auditor-General to forward a copy of govern-ment’s audited account for the year 2023 to it for consideration as prescribed by law.
Addressing State lawmakers, Speaker Martins Amaewhule told lawmakers that government was yet to comply with the provisions of the constitution which compel it to timeously forward an audited copy of the state’s account to the House.
The House accordingly directed its Public Accounts Committee to find out what is responsible for the delay on the part of government to avail the House of the said document.
Section 85(2) of the Constitution of the Federation Republic of Nigeria 1999, provides that, “the Public Accounts of the Federation and of all Offices and Courts of the Federation shall be audited and reported on by the Auditor-General who shall submit his report to the National Assembly; and for that purpose, the Auditor-General or any person authorized by him in that regard shall have access to all the books, records, returns and other documents relating to those accounts”.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara, calm in the face of pressure reflects on his next step as he navigates through the murky waters of Rivers politics. In the case of state’s, Section 125 [1] of the constitution says, “There shall be an Auditor-General for each State who shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of section 126 of this Constitution.”
Section 125[2] notes that “The public accounts of a State and of all offices and courts of the State shall be audited by the Auditor-General for the State who shall submit his reports to the House of Assembly of the State concerned, and for that purpose the Auditor-General or any person authorised by him in that behalf shall have access to all the books, records, returns and other documents relating to those accounts.”
Meanwhile, the House has equally disclosed that it is yet to receive the Medium Term Expenditure Framework as well as the 2024 Appropriation Bill.
By law, the presentation of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework which provides lawmakers, experts and the public with deep insight about the State’s policy direction as well as the nature of fiscal provisions that would be required precedes the submission of any kind of budget by government.
The House resolved to write formally to the Rivers Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara asking his administration to comply with constitutional provisions in respect of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework.
In another related development, two bills under consideration on the floor of the House have scaled first reading.
They are the Rivers State Traditional Rulers (Amendment) Bill and Use of State owned Property Prohibition (Repeal) Bill.