Stick to budgetary provisions in your spending, OAGF warns MDAs

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has warned account sections of different Ministries, Department and Agencies to ensure that its spending and records are in line with what is in the budgetary provisions. This is just as the Director-General of the National Productivity Centre, Baffa Agundi, urged staff of the audit and account […]

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has warned account sections of different Ministries, Department and Agencies to ensure that its spending and records are in line with what is in the budgetary provisions.

This is just as the Director-General of the National Productivity Centre, Baffa Agundi, urged staff of the audit and account departments to maintain clean financial records in their respective MDAs.

The OAGF also cautioned the MDAs to ensure that any external funds such as grants, aids and internally generated revenue that are attracted to the agencies must be disclosed in line with the extent rules to avoid sanctions.

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamsedeen Ogunjimi, gave this caution at Mararaba, Nasarawa State during the opening session of a 3-day training on International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) for Accounts and Audit Staff.

Daily Trust reports that the training was organised by the National Productivity Centre, an agency under Ministry of Labour and Employment in collaboration with the office of AGF.

Speaking through Mr. Shaibu Sikiru, the Acting Director, Consolidated Accounts Department of the OAGF, Ogunjimi cautioned the MDAs not to go beyond their budgetary provisions in terms of spending.

He emphasised the importance of financial prudence and warned that violators would face sanctions, adding that all grants and donations received from donor agencies outside the approved budget must be declared.

According to the top government official, vouchers should be raised in line with the financial statements of each agency.

He said, “Apart from the budget, there are other sources of money. When your budget is prepared, maybe you got a grant or aid, or you have revenue, which you’re allowed to spend, if you do not disclose it as supplementary budget, your expenditure will be higher than the real budget.

“Where you have other sources of income other than the budget, which is legitimate, disclose it. It shall be added to your official budget to make a final budget so that it can be equal.

“The kind of voucher you raised must be from the budget. You do not use your own English. We have that type of account that guides preparation of financial statements. For instance, when you say being the amount for traveling, we don’t have anything like traveling in the budget. We only Local Travel and Transport (LT&T).”

Earlier, the DG of the National Productivity Centre, Agundi, explained that the workshop was essential for improving auditors’ and accountants’ expertise in budget preparation, urging participants to enhance their record-keeping skills.

The NPC boss stated: “The financial system of payment now at the Federal level has changed. Before, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) used to send all their budgeted funds for onward payment for respective approvals given by that MDA.

“Now, whatever approval you are given based on the budgetary provisions, you upload it and the Office of the Accountant General will give the approval.

“We have to train them on how best they can do the process of the finance and audit department as we have been one of the best MDA that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offence Commission (ICPC) has rated good based on our financial dealings.

“Even the OAGF and Auditor General rated us highly in terms of our books. So I am very happy and pleased with the Audit and Account department for making me proud. I want to encourage them to continue to do the best they can to ensure that our books are kept clean.”

He added that the account and audit officers should always be mindful that the anti-graft agencies in the country and Nigerians at large are watching and monitoring them closely.