PUBLIC ACCOUNTS: I NEVER INDICTED NNPC, OTHERS - AUDITOR-GENERAL

By NBF News

By  Oscarline Onwuemenyi
ABUJA-The Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura, has clarified reports in the media concerning the non-submission of audited accounts by some government agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, among others, to his office.

He also noted that the issue of indictment of the National Assembly by the office was inconsistent and inaccurate, adding that it had only sought to strengthen the good relationship with the Public Accounts Committee of the legislature.

The said report had generated a lot of heated reaction from some of the agencies concerned, especially the NNPC, which had gone the extra mile to publish records of its audited accounts over the years.

The clarification was contained in a statement yesterday presented to correspondents in Abuja by a director in the Extra-Ministerial Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Hyacinth Obilor.

It said: 'The Auditor-General of the Federation did not at anytime allege that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, did not submit audited accounts to this office.'

It pointed out that the report submitted to the Public Accounts Committee, PAC, of the House of Representatives on October 14, concerning the status of the audited accounts showed that the corporation submitted its audited accounts up to 2010.

It added: 'Therefore, this office does not know the source of the information that elicited the embarrassing reactions and publication in national newspapers by the corporation without official verification from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

'The office, therefore, demands a retrieval of the said publication to put the issue at stake in its right perspective.'