Underfunding Of Auditor-General’s Office May Weaken Anti-Corruption Efforts – Reps

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee, PAC, has called for increased funding for the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation, warning that underfunding could weaken accountability and fuel corruption.

The Committee made the appeal during a 2026 budget defence session with the Auditor-General’s office at the National Assembly.

Chairman of the committee, Bamidele Salam, said it was unrealistic to expect the Auditor-General to effectively scrutinize a proposed 58.4 trillion naira ($) federal budget with what he described as minimal financial support.

The Auditor-General, Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira, told lawmakers that poor release of allocated funds in 2025 hampered the office’s operations and limited its ability to carry out its constitutional mandate.

Chira said the office audited only five of Nigeria’s roughly 100 foreign missions in 2025 due to funding shortages, adding that some missions still owe rent and face personnel shortages.

Although 653 million naira was appropriated for foreign mission audits in 2025, only 371 million naira was spent, leaving an outstanding balance of 282 million naira, or 56% of the amount released, he said.

For 2026, the office proposed 3.4 billion naira for foreign mission audits but was given a budget ceiling of about 634 million naira, Chira added.

He also said only 4% of the office’s capital allocation was released in 2025, significantly impairing its operations.

Lawmakers noted that the proposed 15.88 billion naira allocation to the Auditor-General’s office for 2026 represents about 0.027% of the 58.4 trillion naira federal budget.

A breakdown of the 2026 proposal includes 5.3 billion naira for personnel, 5.6 billion naira for overheads and 4.8 billion naira for capital expenditure.

Salam said weakening oversight institutions through inadequate funding undermines transparency and accountability in public financial management.

The committee urged the federal government to ensure adequate appropriation and full release of funds to strengthen the Auditor-General’s capacity to prevent corruption, waste and mismanagement of public resources.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji