The House of Representatives has passed the Nigeria Audit Service Bill, repealing the Audit Ordinance of 1956 and establishing the Federal Audit Board, along with providing additional powers and functions to the Auditor-General of the Federation.
The bill aims to repeal the Audit Ordinance of 1956 and enact the Federal Audit Service Act, 2023. It is designed to establish the Federal Audit Service, provide additional powers and functions to the Auditor-General for the Federation, establish the Federal Audit Board, and address related matters.
During the scrutiny of the bill on Thursday, October 12, 2023, various contributions and amendments were made during the House committee session presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
In his introductory remarks, the Majority Leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, stated that the bill was part of efforts to eliminate colonial inheritance and ensure compliance with relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Hon. Ihonvbere, who reintroduced the bill carried over from the 9th Assembly, emphasised the need for these changes to provide the board with the independence and impartiality required to discharge its statutory responsibilities effectively.
Until now, Nigeria was the only country in Africa among the 54 countries without an audit law.
In an early intervention, Hon. Salam urged his colleagues to note that the bill had gone through all legislative processes but faced non-assent by the President due to time constraints. He emphasised that all stakeholders had harmonised their positions on it.
The service is to operate as a board and not a commission.
Section 4(a) of the new law provides that the chairman of the board shall have at least 15 years of experience in accounting and auditing, either in public or private practice.
Under Section 4(2) of the law, the Auditor-General for the Federation shall be the chief executive officer, with six members representing each of the geopolitical zones, a representative from the Head of Service of the Federation, the Federal Civil Service Commission not below the rank of a Director, two persons who retired from the service, one person to represent the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, and one person to represent the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria. The Legal Adviser of the Service shall be the Secretary.
Section 6(a), which proposed that the members of the board serve for a term of four years and may be re-appointed for another term of four years, was upheld.
In Section 22, the years of the occupant of such office were stated to remain in consonance with what is obtained in the Civil Service Rule, in which the retirement age is set at 60 years and 35 years of service, depending on which comes earlier.
In line with extant legislative practice, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) scrutinises and reviews the annual report sent to it by the Auditor-General of the Federation and can invite the affected Ministries, Departments, or Agencies (MDA) or any person connected to the same to appear before it.
The reports and recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee are also considered in plenary and, where necessary, forwarded to the President for proper implementation of resolutions.
With the passage of this law by the House of Representatives, the bill is expected to be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence.
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