The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Shamsedeen Ogunjimi, on Tuesday faced intense scrutiny at the Senate over alleged zero capital allocations to several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), non-payment for completed contracts, and concerns surrounding the deployment of the Centralised Payment System.
Ogunjimi appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance as part of the ongoing budget defence exercise, but the session quickly turned confrontational, with lawmakers expressing dissatisfaction over what they described as the unfriendly disposition of the Office of the Accountant-General towards legislative oversight.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the committee, Senator Mohammed Musa, made it clear that the Senate would not rubber-stamp the budget proposals of the office without satisfactory explanations and concrete assurances.
Musa accused the Accountant-General’s office of failing to cooperate adequately with the committee and warned that such an attitude would no longer be tolerated. Other senators echoed the concerns, subjecting Ogunjimi to sustained questioning over the handling of public finances and delays in payments to contractors who had reportedly completed government projects.
“We are not going to take your budget until we are satisfied that your office is ready to do things that will make governance work for Nigerians through the assurances expected from you,” Musa declared.
The committee chairman also faulted the Federal Government’s continued reliance on the envelope budgeting system, describing it as ineffective and incapable of delivering meaningful development outcomes.
“One of the issues that must be urgently resolved is the envelope budgeting system used yearly by the Federal Government, which has failed to produce desired results. We need to consider an alternative model such as performance-based budgeting,” he said.
Lawmakers expressed concern that zero capital allocations to key MDAs were hampering service delivery and undermining public confidence, while unpaid contractors were facing financial hardship despite fulfilling their contractual obligations.
The Senate Committee on Finance insisted that comprehensive explanations and firm commitments from the Accountant-General would be required before any consideration of his office’s budget, underscoring the legislature’s resolve to strengthen fiscal accountability and ensure prudent management of public funds.
