At last the Senate has confirmed the appointment of Shaakaa Chira as the new Auditor-General of the Federation.
President Bola Tinubu had on October 20 2023 appointed Chira for the position, relying on Section 86 of the 1999 Constitution (Amended).
The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) recommended Chira for the appointment following a rigorous screening exercise, where he was identified as the most qualified candidate and scored the highest in the examination among all the qualified candidates.
During his screening and confirmation in the Senate, Chira expressed his concern over the lack of funding for the office, which has made it challenging to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds. He revealed that the office had only been allocated N62 million in the last budget, which has hindered the performance of even the most basic tasks.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio called for an increase in funding for the office to ensure it can carry out its mandate of ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of public funds and fighting corruption.
However, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Baraau pointed out that the funding problem came from the Executive arm of the government, and any intervention toward solving it should come from there.
He expressed his displeasure at the previous administration’s failure to fund such a critical office and wondered if it was done intentionally to undermine the agency’s ability to demand transparency and accountability.
Baraau, however, expressed hope that the current administration would provide substantial funding for the office in the 2024 budget “Something substantial should be provided for them in 2024 budget. Probably the past administrations did not want them to perform”, he said.
Ahmed Lawan, a senator representing Yobe North, also applauded President Tinubu’s appointment of Chira and emphasized the need to expedite the passing of the audit bill.
Chira’s appointment comes a year after the retirement of Adolphus Aghughu. Many Nigerians and civil society organizations have expressed concerns that the delayed appointment has contributed to the poor state of accountability at the federal level.
It is hoped that the appointment of Chira will bring about a positive change and enthrone transparency and accountability in public service.
Meanwhile this confirmation by the Senate has also put to rest petitions against his appointment, some of which delayed the confirmation last week.
Stakeholders believe the new Auditor-General for the Federation has a lot of work on his hand. According to them, the delay in the appointment of an Auditor-General has resulted in the audited accounts of the Federation for years 2020, 2021, and 2022 remaining untouched because they were not authorised for release to the Public Accounts Committees (PACs) of the National Assembly.
Mr. Lawson Onyema, who retired from the office of the Auditor-General, told Financialtrust.com.ng that he has confidence in the ability of Chira to perform creditably, noting that he has what it takes to run the office.
He however reiterated the need for government to properly fund the office to ensure the integrity of the audit reports.