Finance Minister Orders Audit Of Navy, Air Force Payrolls

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Thursday, May 12th, 2016

By Ganiyu Nasirudeen

ABUJA, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Sequel to alarming revelations at the ongoing trial of the immediate past security Chiefs, Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun has directed an investigation into the payrolls of the Air Force, the Navy and the Army by the Continuous Audit Team of the Federal Government.

The Minister indicated Thursday that the latest measure was necessary as part of President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s resolve to restore the culture of transparency, accountability and control in the management of public funds.

“Following revelations in the course of the trial of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, that the sum of N558.2m was allegedly diverted monthly from the Nigeria Air Force account into private pockets, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has directed an investigation into the payrolls of the Air Force, the Navy and the Army by the Continuous Audit Team of the Federal Government”, the Minister directed.

Director of Special Projects in the Finance Ministry, Mr. Mohammed Dikwa, heads the Team and it is expected to report its findings for appropriate action by the Federal Government.

Mrs Adeosun in a statement by the Director of Information in the Ministry, Salisu Dambatta assured that the directive would be carried out by the Continuous Audit Team of the Federal Government.

Dambatta disclosed that the Continuous Audit team has been mandated with the responsibility of scrutinizing the payrolls of the three services, which were not yet put on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System to ensure that all possible loopholes that could lead to leakages were blocked.

The statement confirmed that “The exercise will be conducted pending the biometric capturing and migrating the payroll of the three services to the IPPIS, in line with the policy of the Federal Government to clean up the payroll of all public sector employees.”

The Continuous Audit Process was one of the initiatives of the Minister approved by President Buhari as part of the on-going reforms in the public Finance management system of the Federal Government, which he emphasised in his 2016 budget speech.