Travails of the
Auditor-General
Vincent
Azie acting auditor-general sacked
for publishing financial report in which many government official
were indicted
By
Anza Philips
The Federal Government has drawn the flak from Nigerians home and
abroad over the sacking of Vincent Azie as acting auditor-general
of the Federation. Azie
has published some reports indicting the presidency, federal
ministries and parastatals as well as the National Assembly. Ike
Nwachukwu, presidential candidate of the National Democratic
Party, NDP, said last week that the sacking of Azie was the
greatest disservice to the nation and a confirmation that the
present government was not faithful to the anti-corruption drive.
“If they were, here is an auditor-general who displayed an
unusual courage to expose those responsible for the down-turn of
the economy. They should have patted him on the back for a job
well done, instead of being sacked,” he said.
Nwachukwu went on to
commend Azie for the job he did. “If I form government on May
29, on that same day I will recall that auditor-general back to
office,” said Nwachukwu.
The Nigeria Labour
Congress, NLC, has since joined the fray. John Odah,
general-secretary of the Congress last week condemned the sacking
of Azie for publishing the damning reports. Odah said the report
exposed and confirmed that the newbreed public officers were
corrupt. He said NLC was alarmed by the spate of stealing by
government functionaries. He said the report comprehensively
exposed the dirt perpetuated daily by the three arms of
government.
According to him the NLC
was against the removal of the auditor-general, saying that his
removal only corroborated claims that the present administration
lacked the will to fight corruption and rid the public service of
sharp practices graphically documented in the audit report.
“Azie displayed a rare show of public spiritedness and
patriotism by publishing the report and that patting the officer
on the back for doing that would have added impetus to President
Olusegun Obasanjo’s anti-corruption rhetorics,” he reasoned.
By last week the
international community had joined in the condemnation of Azie’s
sack. US-based Pan-Ndigbo Forum condemned the removal
saying it was hypocritical for a government that prides itself as
a vanguard for anti-corruption to engage in victimising a public
servant for performing his statutory function.
“It is not prudent on
the part of the government to remove an individual that produced a
financial report that incriminates the three arms of government.
The removal of Vincent Azie gives the appearance that the
government is giving lips service to the campaign against graft
that has eaten deep into the fabrics of the nation’, said the
group in a press statement from
Dallas
,
Texas
. last interview.
Not so, Adamu Ciroma, minister of finance who said in a BBC
interview February 24 that Azie had demonstrated incompetence by
rushing to press with the report instead of passing it to the
accountant-general. Ciroma
said it was the duty of the accountant-general to query any fund
indiscipline on the part of government functionaries.
When Azie reported for
work
Monday, February 10, 2003
, little did he know that it was going to be
his last day as acting auditor-general of the financial.
He was relied of his appointment and replaced with Joseph
Ajiboye, a man he had succeeded about six months back.
Azie was appointed acting auditor-general on
August 13, 2002
after Ajiboye had served as acting
auditor-general for six months. Section 86(3) of the 1999
constitution allows one to act in that capacity for only six
months. It states
that, “except with the sanction of a resolution of the Senate,
no person shall act in the office of the auditor-general for a
period exceeding six months.”
A letter signed by the
secretary to the Federal Government dated
February 10, 2003
directed Azie to hand over to Ajiboye at the
expiration of his tenure. The
expiry date for the tenure was only two days away from the date of
the letter.
Azie’s removal has
more to do with release of the 2001 auditor-generals report than
the expiration of the period of his acting appointment.
The report, which is being applauded by a large section of
the populace, has not gone down well with the Federal Government.
The report was an open
indictment of the Federal Government’s claims of transparency
and accountability. More
than 23 billion naira was lost in 2001 alone.
And virtually all ministries and parastatals were involved
in this mind-boggling discovery.
The government was aghast, and it did not hide its disdain
for Azie’s action.
The first to dismiss the
report was Jerry Gana, minister of information and national
orientation. Apart from outright dismissal of the report, Gana
questioned the professional judgment of the auditor-general.
According to him, in accounting transactions, particularly
with regard to audit, most of the issues raised in the first
instance should be queries to the bodies that are auditing.
“ And that they should be given the opportunity to answer
the queries and submit all documents.
It is thereafter, that the final report goes to the
National Assembly,” Gana said.
Gana accused the auditor
general of being in a haste to rush out the report because there
were three basic steps he never took.
One of these steps, Gana said was preparing an initial
draft after which the draftsman would raise queries, where
explanations are sought and replies given.
“ It is when you are not satisfied that you raise final
copy. That particular
aspect was missing and that is very unfortunate,” Gana said.
Accounting experts have
faulted Gana’s position. Abuchi
Ogbuju, a practicing accountant and guest lecturer, Distance
Learning,
University
of
Abuja
, in a newspaper advertorial said queries and
observations come within the period of audit exercise.
“ Any matter that is
finally highlighted in the report simply means that that the
auditor is not satisfied with the response received be it oral or
written, and where this happens, the reports are qualified”,
Ogbuju said.
Some staff of the
auditor-general’s office who spoke with Newswatch said
government’s utterances on the matter were expected.
According to them, President Olusegun Obasanjo has never
hidden his preference for Ajiboye as the auditor-general of the
Federation.
“
The government has been looking for ways not to confirm
Azie. The president
would prefer Ajiboye for the job.
So the government was only looking for an opportunity, and
the opportunity has come. This
is a matter of giving a dog a bad name so as to hang it.” a
staff told Newswatch.
Newswatch
learnt that Obasanjo has not hidden his preference of Ajiboye for
the job. The president
had forwarded only the name of Ajiboye to the Senate for
consideration for a substantive appointment as auditor-general of
the Federation mid-last year.
Whereas the Civil Service Commission had certified and
recommended both Azie and Ajiboye to the president for
consideration by the Senate for appointment.
Section 86(1) of the
constitution stipulates that the auditor-general of the Federation
shall be appointed by the president on the recommendation of the
Federal Civil Service Commission subject to confirmation by the
Senate.
The Senate rejected
Ajiboye, who was the president’s nominee for the job.
The Senate said the choice did not conform to the principle
of federal character. Ajiboye
hails from
Kogi
State
from the North-Central geo-political zone of
Nigeria. He is Yoruba.
The Senate, was told,
predicated its rejection of the president’s nominee on the
grounds that the minister of state for finance, the governor of
Central Bank, the accountant-general of the Federation, and the
managing director, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation were all
Yoruba. And that it was wrong to also appoint another Yoruba
person as auditor-general. They
said appointing Ajiboye would negate completely any observance of
the federal character in the finance sector.
Newswatch
learnt that this argument from the Senate did not go down well
with the president who equated the Senate’s position on the
matter to mean another affront.
A source told Newswatch that the president stood his
ground on the choice of Ajiboye, arguing that Ajiboye was a
northerner.
The Senate too remained
undeterred. Sensing
the unwavering stance of the Senate on the issue, the source told Newswatch
the president opted for not sending the name of Azie for
appointment as a substantive auditor-general either.
The game plan was to
continuously swap the two officers as acting auditor-general until
such a time when Azie’s time will be due for retirement.
Under such a circumstance, the Senate would have no option
but to confirm Ajiboye as there will be no alternative.
This option, according
its sources was informed by the president’s understanding that
Azie is due for retirement in October this year, having served for
35 years, whereas, Newswatch learnt that Ajoboye will be
due for retirement in November 2006.
Sources said the
president took liberty in the provisions of section 86(2) of the
constitution. It provides that, “ the power to appoint persons
to act in the office of the auditor-general shall vest in the
president.”
But Ciroma punctured all
those sentiments in the BBC interview.
He said Ajiboye was preferred because he was the most
senior among them. “If
you remember Mr. Ajiboye was the most senior among them.
Even the president forwarded this name to the National
Assembly for confirmation as auditor-general of the federation.
But the Senate refused to give its approval because he is a
Yoruba.”
Additional
report by Salif Atojoko.
Newswatch Volume 37 No. 9, March 10, 2003
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