REMOVAL OF KWARA STATE AUDITOR GENERAL: A CASE AGAINST FISCAL TRANSPARENCY AND THE RULE OF LAW
Joint investigation by the undersigned Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the removal of Kwara State Auditor General revealed high level of victimization, a lip service to fiscal transparency and accountability; and an ignoble reputation of undermining the Rule of Law by the Kwara State government.
The role of the state audit is of utmost importance for public sector financing because it indicates problems which diminish the effectiveness of the functionality of the state, increases transparency of the public sector and influences creation of additional value for money to improve service delivery (ISD) and development.
The most important function of government auditing is to determine whether the process of collecting and spending public funds and other relevant transactions is in line with state laws and regulations, to determine whether there is any misbehavior in the management of public revenue and expenditure.
An audit provides independent verification that the financial statements are a true and fair representation of the state’s current situation. This provides invaluable credibility and confidence to the people.
Following the Audit query for expenditures to the sum of N6.2 billion that were not receipted, the state government orchestrated every MECHANISMS to pull down the Auditor GENERAL for performing his professional job which he swore to abide by under oath of office. It went ahead to use the State Assembly members who are willing negative channels to purportedly remove the Auditor without any query in the history of his career; and without any avenue for FAIR HEARING
Section 125 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (As Amended)
states that “in the exercise of his function under the Constitution, the Auditor-General shall not be subject to the direction or control of any other authority or person”.
The undersigned Civil Society Organizations are perturbed by seemingly nonchalant disposition and repulsive steps of the state government towards sustainability of reforms of its fiscal governance ecosystem evident by unjustified removal of State Auditor General directly linked to his damning findings itemized in the maiden Citizens Accountability Report.
The auditor was removed
against the INJUCTION of the Industrial Court, a competent Court of jurisdictions sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital that Kwara State government stay action from removing the state Auditor General pending the determination of his suit against this regime. This is recklessness and perversion of justice taken too far.
To add colour to her charade, the government went to town with funfare, and agog with fake news funded by public funds that the Industrial Court has overturned the injuction. There’s a contempt of Court hanging on these anti Rule of Law agents. We call on the Auditor to do the needful to disallow negative precedences.
It’s now an established fact that the state is equally afraid to be part of the OPEN Government Partnership (OGP) PROCESS in Nigeria which many state governments have signed into. Her attitude
and body language
to the OGP is cameleonic in appearance and actions.
The Abdulrahaman regime has continuously camouflaged openness and accountability. If wishes were horses, the governor and his Political agents would hang white albatrosses around their necks in cacophony of deceit and as a mark of subjugated victory over fiscal transparency.
The state Assembly has also continue to be a rubber stamp organ instead of playing her oversight functions of checks and balances. The Public Hearing to the Amended state Audit Laws were exercises in brinkmanship; it only acted the prepared script of the Abdulradaq Abdulramam musical theatrical hide and seek game. Apart from a hurriedly organized Public Hearing, quality propositions from CSOs, private sector and the general public on the Bill were thrown to the waste bin. The so-called amendments were pegeon hole arrangements.
By threading this path, the KWSHA members have abandoned their responsibilities for which they were elected.
We call for the reinstatement of Mr. Samuel Omoniyi Adeyeye in obedience to the injuction if the Industrial Court.
1. COMRADE TAIWO OTITOLAYE
Executive Director
Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA)
2. Musa Aliyu
Media Advocacy and Technologies Center, MATEC
3. Mallam Yinka Razzak, Fiscal Governance Advisor, Grassroots Development Monitoring and Advocacy Centre (GDMAC)
4. Luqman M. Shaffii
Executive Director, Civil
Right and Development Resource Centre – CIRDEV
5. Sofiyyah Alarape L.
Programme Manager,
Centre for Women Development and Social Justice
6. Ife Odepidan
Common Cause Initiatives
7. Adebayo Moses
Development Action for Humanity (DAH)
8. Areola Joseph
Association of Democratic Citizens (ADC)
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