Juliet Akoje in Abuja
The Space of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has threatened to safe arrest warrants in opposition to the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Engr. Sani Guy Yahaya, and the establishment’s Bursar, Aishat Color Adebayo, must they fail to look earlier than the panel on Monday, October 19, 2026, to handle remarkable audit queries, alleged procurement irregularities and different issues on the subject of monetary control.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Bamidele Salam, made this identified the day prior to this when the panel followed the document of its technical committee, which tested submissions through six tertiary establishments based on audit queries raised through the Administrative center of the Auditor-Basic for the Federation.
The motion adopted the Committee’s evaluation of unresolved problems contained within the Federal Polytechnic, Ede’s 2021 Audit File, findings from its oversight workout within the South-West geopolitical zone and a petition submitted to the panel.
The lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with the repeated failure of the Rector and Bursar to honour invites to look earlier than the Committee, describing their absence as worrisome given the phenomenal audit queries and different issues for which they have been anticipated to supply explanations.
The Committee warned that it will invoke the related constitutional and legislative powers of the Space of Representatives to safe their arrest and compel their look if the Rector, Bursar and different officers involved failed to wait the scheduled listening to on Monday, October 19, 2026.
It emphasized that the officers will have to seem earlier than the panel to respond to the unresolved audit queries, explain allegations of monetary irregularities and publish related paperwork wanted for the continued investigations.
The Committee additional published that an inspection carried out through its staff on the establishment uncovered what it described as deficient venture execution, with the extent of labor allegedly performed on some initiatives falling wanting the quantities already dispensed to contractors.
It additionally disclosed that a number of petitions were won in opposition to the establishment’s control, elevating allegations of various sorts of monetary misconduct.
Consistent with the Committee, 3 audit queries on the subject of the establishment’s 2021 monetary 12 months remained unresolved.
They involved an unretired money advance, the engagement of an exterior solicitor with out approval from the Legal professional-Basic of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and overseas journeys undertaken with out proof of authorisation through the Head of the Civil Provider of the Federation.
The panel additionally faulted the establishment for filing its audited monetary statements for the 2022, 2023 and 2024 monetary years past due, noting that the lengthen contravened present rules and statutory necessities governing monetary reporting.
Throughout its South-West oversight workout, the Committee recognized a considerable discrepancy between the establishment’s authorized overhead price range and its exact expenditure for 2023.
Despite the fact that N110.2 million used to be authorized for overhead prices for the 12 months, the establishment’s audited accounts confirmed that exact expenditure reached N882.5 million, leading to extra spending of roughly N772 million.
The Committee additionally puzzled an estimated budgetary slack of N268.5 million within the establishment’s staff expenditure for a similar monetary 12 months.
Data introduced to the panel indicated that the authorized staff price range used to be N2.862 billion, whilst exact expenditure stood at N2.593 billion.
The variation raised issues about whether or not good enough due diligence used to be carried out in getting ready the establishment’s price range estimates.
Any other factor recognized through the Committee used to be the absence of documentary proof appearing that the establishment had complied with the required remittance of 1 in line with cent of staff emoluments to the Nigeria Social Insurance coverage Accept as true with Fund (NSITF) between 2023 and 2025.
The lawmakers additional expressed dissatisfaction with the establishment’s failure to supply procurement paperwork protecting capital expenditure and initiatives funded through the Tertiary Schooling Accept as true with Fund (TETFund), regardless of repeated requests through the Committee.
They described the failure to supply the data as an obstacle to legislative oversight, stressing that withholding the paperwork denied the panel get right of entry to to knowledge important to evaluate procurement actions and put in force duty in the usage of public budget.
Throughout a bodily inspection of an ongoing lecture theatre development venture on the establishment’s everlasting web page, contributors of the Committee reportedly seen development paintings they regarded as substandard.
The inspection staff came upon that the concrete floor resulting in the lecture theatre front were poorly accomplished, with the fabric reportedly so susceptible that it might be damaged with the arms and toes.
The invention heightened issues about the usual of development and whether or not the standard of labor delivered through the contractor mirrored the amount of cash already paid for the venture.
Following the inspection, the Committee directed the establishment to publish the venture’s Invoice of Amounts, procurement paperwork and the identification and main points of the contractor dealing with the development for additional scrutiny.
Alternatively, the establishment did not give you the asked data.
The panel additionally raised issues over N20.5 million reportedly but to be credited to the Retirement Financial savings Accounts of a few staff of the establishment through Stanbic IBTC Pension and Get admission to Pension.
The findings attributed the lengthen to the establishment’s alleged failure to offer the pension fund directors with correct worker main points, together with the Private Identity Numbers connected to the employees’ Retirement Financial savings Accounts (RSA PINs).
Consistent with the Committee, the lengthen may reason the affected staff to get bored and different funding returns that may have accumulated to their retirement financial savings if the contributions were credited to their accounts promptly.
Salam reaffirmed the Committee’s choice to advertise transparency, duty and strict compliance with monetary rules within the control of public sources.
He maintained that public establishments will have to be able to justify their expenditure, produce asked monetary and procurement data, and supply sufficient explanations for audit queries raised through the related government.
The Committee additional warned that it will no longer put out of your mind repeated circumstances of public officers ignoring its invites, withholding related paperwork or failing to satisfactorily deal with issues raised all through legislative investigations.
It reiterated that the Space of Representatives would deploy its related powers, together with measures to compel the attendance of the Rector, Bursar and different officers involved, in the event that they failed to look earlier than the panel on Monday as directed.
The Committee additionally said that the petitions submitted in opposition to the establishment’s control can be tested along the audit findings and different to be had proof in keeping with the Charter of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and acceptable rules.