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Tag: Accountant-General of the Federation

  • Meet Nigeria’s First Female Accountant-General of the Federation

    Meet Nigeria’s First Female Accountant-General of the Federation

    Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has given his approval for the appointment of Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein as the substantive Accountant-General of the Federation.

    This decision, announced on Friday, May 19, 2023, by the Director of Communication, Mohammed Abdullahi Ahmed, follows a “successful conduct of a selection process” to fill the existing vacancy.

    Ahmed further disclosed that the appointment is effective from Thursday, May 18, 2023, signifying the immediate assumption of duties by the newly appointed Accountant-General.

    Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein brings a wealth of experience to her new role, having served as the Director of Finance and Accounts at the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation since January 2020 until her appointment.

    Prior to that, she held the position of Deputy Director (Internal Audit) at the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, overseeing the internal audit department of the Housing Sector.

    Her career in financial management also includes notable positions at the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, the Ministry of Police Affairs, and the National Poverty Eradication Programme.

    Her extensive career in financial management includes serving as Deputy Director at the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, where she specialized in internal auditing and risk management.

    Sakirat has also held key positions at the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, the Ministry of Police Affairs, and the National Poverty Eradication Programme.

    It would be recalled that the former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris was suspended and arrested by the Nigerian government in the wake of his arrest on allegations of money laundering and diversion of public funds.

    Following Ahmed Idris’s suspension, Anamekwe Chukwunyere Nwabuoku was appointed on May 23rd 2022 to oversee the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation in acting capacity.

    However, by July 4, 2022, Nwabuoku was replaced with Okolieaboh Ezeoke Sylvis, a former Treasury Single Account (TSA) Director, due to ongoing investigations by the EFCC.

    Madein’s appointment, therefore, comes at a crucial time when Nigeria aims to enhance transparency and efficiency in its financial operations and the expectations are high as she assumes this critical position.

  • Respite awaits CONUA members’ as FG requests details for salary payment

    Respite awaits CONUA members’ as FG requests details for salary payment

    Respite seems to come the way of members of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) as the Federal Government, through the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, has requested the details of withheld salaries for payment.

    CONUA, a rival union of university lecturers, which parted from the Academic Staff Union of Universities, had in December 2022, threatened to drag the Federal Government to court over the withheld salaries of its members, as it maintained that its members were not part of the eight months ASUU strike, which lasted from February to October, 2022.

    “The government knew that the union did not call for strike action and its members were not involved in the strike action that lasted for eight months and which shut down the university system nationwide.

    “In the letter, we made it clear that because CONUA constituted a separate and independent union in the university system, our members did not call for any strike. This was followed by a press conference in Abuja on August 19, 2022 at which it was categorically stated that CONUA was not part of any ongoing strike and that the ‘No Work No Pay’ principle ought not to apply to members of the union,” CONUA statement in December partly read.

    Respite awaits CONUA members’ as FG requests details for salary payment

    The circular,  signed on behalf of the AGF by the Director, Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, Charles Wali, addressed to the CONUA president, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, was dated January 13, 2023.

    The letter read, “I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter on the above subject matter dated November 2, 2022 in respect of payment of your withheld backlog of salaries and to request you to provide soft copy of membership of CONUA across universities to enable payment as requested.

    “Meanwhile, you may wish to forward the following details to facilitate seamless deduction and remittance of check-off dues: Evidence of registration; official account details of the union; membership list of the union, signed by each member; percentage of deduction (check-off dues)/amount to be deducted from each member; mode of remittance between the headquarters and local chapters.”

    Wali added that the details of members which must always be hard and soft copies, should also include individual IPPIS numbers for ease of identification.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that upon the suspension of ASUU’s eight-month strike, the FG had paid the lecturers on pro-rata basis, as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, maintained that the government could not pay for a job not done.

    ASUU members across universities have since then been protesting the “no-work-no-pay” policy, even as the union says it will consider “appropriate options” to further press home its demands.

  • Alleged 109.5bn fraud: Court remands suspended Accountant General, Idris in Kuje prison

    Alleged 109.5bn fraud: Court remands suspended Accountant General, Idris in Kuje prison

    An FCT High Court on Friday ordered that the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, and three others be remanded in Kuje Correctional Facility over alleged N109.5 billion fraud.

    Other defendants are Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Usman, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited.

    The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) arraigned them on a 14-count charge of alleged misappropriation of N109.5 billion.

    Justice O. Adeyemi Ajayi gave the order after the submission of all counsel in the matter.

    She ordered that the defendants be remanded at Kuje correctional centre pending bail applications.

    She adjourned until July 27 for hearing in the bail applications.

    Earlier, Counsel to Idris, Chris Uche SAN prayed the court to allow the defendant to continue enjoying the administrative bail granted to him by the EFCC.

    Uche added that the EFCC has the defendant’s international passport, and as such they should be allowed to come back on Monday to take their bail application.

    He urged the court to permit the defendants to come back on Monday and not remand them at any correctional facility.

    However, the EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN said the administrative bail ended once the charge was filed.

    Rotimi argued that allowing the Defendants to go home after their arraignment, without hearing and determination of their formal bail applications, would send a wrong signal to the society.

    “To ask them to go home without coming to argue the application for bail will send a wrong signal to the society that if a less important citizen is arraigned, such person would be made to suffer.

    “Having filed the application, we need to react to what they said, especially on the issue that they were granted administrative bail and they complied to it”.

    Delivering her ruling, Ajayi held that the court was not a puppet to dance to the rhythm of public opinions.

    Uche pleaded with the court that due to the porous security nature of the Kuje correctional facility, his client should be remanded in the EFCC custody.

    EFCC alleged that between February and December, 2021 Idris accepted from Olusegun Akindele, a gratification of N15,136,221,921.46 ( which sum was as a motive for accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to the nine (9) oil producing Sates in the Federation, through the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

    It also alleged that N84,390,000,00 from the federal government’s account was converted by the first and second defendants between Feb. and Nov.,2021.

    EFCC said the offence contravenes Section 155 and 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty to the allegations against them.

  • N80bn fraud: FG appoints Anamekwe to oversee office of Accountant General of the Federation

    N80bn fraud: FG appoints Anamekwe to oversee office of Accountant General of the Federation

    Pending the outcome of ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) for financial impropriety, the federal government has approved the appointment of Mr Anamekwe Chukwunyere Nwabuoku to oversee the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF).

    This was contained in statement issued by Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, Special Adviser (Media and Communications) to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning on Sunday in Abuja.

    According to the statement, the appointment of the new AOGF came via a letter dated 20th May, 2022 and signed by Aliyu Ahmed, Permanent Secretary (Finance), Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the appointment is pending the outcome of the investigation.

    The statement reads: “in this position, Mr.Anamekwe is expected to carry out his duty in strict compliance with extant rules and observe the highest sense of professionalism expected of an officer working at his level.

    “Mr Anamekwe was born on 15th October, 1962 to the family of Mr Robert O. Anamekwe in Shims Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.

    “He holds Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accountancy from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, and Master of Science (M.Sc) in Financial Management from Common Wealth University, Belize.

    “He started his civil service career with the Centre for Democratic Studies (CDS) and rose to the position of Principal Accountant between 1992 and 1995. He was deployed to the Office of the AGF, Abuja from 1996 to 2001 as Assistant Chief Accountant.

    “He served at the National Assembly, Office of the Senate President from 2001 to 2003 as Special Assistant to the Senate President on Public Affairs and his duties included Advisory Services to the Senate President on Media and other issues. He assumed duty as Chief Accountant in the Ministry of Defence Headquarters, Abuja and served as Head of Accounts Administration.

    “Following his promotion to Assistant Director Accounts, he was placed in charge of Funds in the Ministry from 2009 to 2012. He became a Deputy Director (Accounts) in 2012 and was deployed to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) as Supervisory Officer of Ecological Funds Accounts and other related matters.

    “He was promoted to Director (Accounts) in 2017 and was posted to Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. He was the Director ( Finance and Accounts) Ministry of Defence, Headquarters, Abuja from May 2019 to March, 2021.

    “Currently, he is Director, Inspectorate Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, and presently he is overseeing the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

    “Mr Anamekwe, who has attended several management courses both locally and internationally, is Fellow, Institute of Chattered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Fellow, Charttered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), and member of Nigeria Institute of Management ( NIM).”

    Recall that the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris was arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes commission (EFCC) over alleged N80 billion fraud.