Dear Abia State Auditor General – Mrs Ngozi Chigbu
CAN WOMEN BE TRUSTED WITH LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA?
Thanks for publishing the state audit report for 2023, which I have repeatedly asked you for. We are moving in the right direction.
Unfortunately, your audit report is shockingly worrying, and lacks credibility. It is a mockery of the highly respected Audit profession, as you deliberately refused to scrutinise the expenditure of the government in any reasonable detail.
You did not question the claim of several tens of billions of Naira for non-existent projects by Abia State Government, as presented in the Accountant General’s Report.
May I ask you what evidences of work completion were presented to you by the Accountant General for the following non-existent projects for which Abia’s funds were claimed…just a few:
1. Construction of Recreational Facilities – N6.5bn
2. Research and Development – N7.02bn
3. Improvement of Agric Facilities – N4.11bn
4. Industrial and Water Pollution Control – N1.06bn
5. Purchase of Vehicles – N7.7bn
6. Construction/Rehabilitation of Roads – N27.4bn
7. Construction of Infrastructure – N467m
7. Construction of Office Buildings – N304.6m
What evidence was presented to you for the N110m claimed for a non-existent cocoa factory and inland port?
May I equally ask you why a chartered Auditor General of your calibre did not question why a Governor ran his office with the sum of N28.35bn, while he spent N25.97bn on tens of thousands of Abia workers?
May I also ask you what evidences were presented to you as evidence of the N7.61bn spent on capital projects in the Governor’s Office last year?
What evidence of completed projects was presented to you for the N713m TETFUND gave to Abia Polytechnic as a Aid last year?
I would not want to go into more details but I really like to inform you that you are complicit in the financial abuse of Abians, and have failed woefully in your duty as an Auditor.
It was worrying to read that you couldn’t DO ANY COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WITH THE REPORTS OF OTHER STATES IN YOUR REPORT. You couldn’t question why Government officials in a peaceful Abia State spent N11.48bn on Security Vote, while the Government Officials in war-ravaged Borno spent N7.72bn.
You couldn’t question why Abia governor Alex C. Otti claimed N10.7bn in 6 months for Security Vote in 2023, while Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra claimed only N5.56bn during the same 6 months, even though Anambra is much bigger than Abia.
If as an independent arm of the government, you couldn’t not do your job professionally, in line with the ethics of your profession, you have failed woefully, and does not deserve the membership of any professional body, same as the Accountant General – Mrs NJUM UMA-ONYEMENAM, who prepared the shoddy report you audited, who also may have approved funds for the non-existent projects.
I understand the difficulties of your job, but you could have stood up for your beliefs [if you have one], and the ethics of your institution. It is now obvious that there is no justification in giving more women opportunities in Abia leadership, since the two of you who hold/held the most sensitive positions in the state, ended up engaging in and encouraging the financial abuse of Abians. So shameful.
God shall be the judge.
Eke O Ako
Office of the Citizen , the Abia state
