Posted by Oluyinka Akintunde and Ibanga Isine, Abuja on
The Ministry of Cooperation and Integration in Africa received 109 queries from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation between the years 2000 and 2002, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives confirmed in a report.
The Ministry of Cooperation and Integration in Africa received 109 queries from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation between the years 2000 and 2002, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives confirmed in a report.
The House of Representatives' Committee, according to a report dated June 28, 2005, also queried the loss of N1.416million revenue by the government due to tax underpayment by 275 staff of the ministry.
The report, which was obtained by our correspondents on Thursday in Abuja, contains the outcome of the investigation of the House Committee into the Auditor-General's report on the Federation Accounts.
The ministry was represented during the investigation by its acting Permanent Secretary, Mr. T.K. Jinadu; Director of Finance and Accounts, Mr. E.O. Adebanjo; Chief Accountant, Mr. E.D. Onipede; Assistant Chief Accountant, Mr. Ilem Iyam; and Mr. Kuliwa Oeters, among others.
While querying the untidiness of the ministry's presentation by the permanent secretary on some of the auditor-general's queries, the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. Adeyemi Oluwole, said in the report, 'From our records here, you have a total of 109 queries for 2000, 2001 and 2002 and we have not cleared just one. That will show you the enormity of the task before you."
The committee ordered the permanent secretary to recover the sum of N1.416million from the affected 275 staff that underpaid their taxes and remit the money to the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
The report said, 'During the audit examination of personnel emolument cards maintained in the ministry, the following irregularities were observed: 275 members of staff were observed to have underpaid their taxes under the Pay As You Earn system, thereby resulting in loss of revenue to the Federal Government to the tune of N1,416,313.
'The taxes should be recovered from the staff and remitted appropriately and the particulars forwarded for audit verification."
In his response to the query on tax underpayment, the ministry said the tax circular was not handy from the FIRS.
The ministry added, 'Efforts are being made to recover the amount for the Federal Government. The salary section has been instructed to take action."
Our correspondents also gathered that the Auditor-General of the Federation queried the ministry for not producing for audit examination the 28 recurrent vote payment vouchers totaling N220,138 and eight capital vote payment vouchers totaling N12.742million raised between July and November 2002.
The claim by officials of the ministry that the alleged 28 vouchers were submitted to the resident auditor, Mrs. A.N. Okolo, was debunked by her.
Okolo said, 'I did not send anybody when the ministry requested for an auditor to assist them answer the queries."
Members of the Public Accounts Committee, according to the report, were dissatisfied with the ministry's response and felt that it was a deliberate intention to mislead the Committee.
'The Committee resolved that the ministry should produce vouchers for audit verification and examination members," the report stated.
The PUNCH, Friday, November 04, 2005