The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives has resolved to tackle the longstanding backlog of federal audit reports, pledging to ensure the submission of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 audit reports by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation.
The committee lamented that persistent delays in the audit process have continued to undermine its constitutional oversight responsibilities, particularly its mandate to scrutinise public expenditure and hold Ministries, Departments and Agencies accountable for the use of public funds.
The Chairman of the Committee, Bamidele Salam, disclosed this at a weekend retreat for PAC members, committee staff and key stakeholders held in Ghana.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the committee’s media unit, Salam said that upon the inauguration of the current panel in 2023, the only audit report available to it was that of 2019, a situation he described as a serious accountability gap.
“When we assumed office in 2023, the most recent audit report before us was the 2019 report.
“However, through sustained engagement with critical stakeholders, especially the Offices of the Auditor-General and the Accountant-General, we were able to obtain the 2020, 2021 and 2022 audit reports. While this marks some progress, it falls short of expectations, particularly as we are already in 2026,” Salam said.
He disclosed that the committee has resolved to convene a high-level stakeholders’ meeting immediately after the retreat, bringing together the Auditor-General for the Federation, the Accountant-General, the Financial Reporting Council and other relevant institutions to agree on a clear and definitive timeline for clearing the outstanding audit reports.
According to him, the committee is optimistic that meaningful progress will be recorded before the end of the year, with substantial closure of audit gaps for 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Salam described the retreat as an avenue for stock-taking, performance evaluation and strategic planning, noting that it enabled the committee to clearly define its priorities for the 2026 legislative year.
“When objectives and performance metrics are clearly set, it provides focus and direction. It also makes it easier to evaluate, at the end of the year, how effectively the committee has discharged its responsibilities,” he noted.
The absence of up-to-date audit reports from the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation has for years, constrained the effectiveness of the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee.
As the committee relies on these reports as the primary tools for examining government accounts, probing financial irregularities and summoning MDAs to account for their expenditures, delays in submission often mean that oversight is carried out several years after the fact.
This weakens accountability, allows financial infractions to persist unchecked and diminishes the deterrent effect of legislative scrutiny, thereby undermining transparency and fiscal discipline in the management of public resources.
The statement also quoted the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Jeremiah Umaru, as saying that PAC has historically played a critical role in revenue recovery and the curbing of financial leakages across government institutions.
“The extent of financial leakages within the system is alarming.
“This is why we are here, to build capacity, engage more effectively with stakeholders and ensure that our oversight function produces stronger outcomes. With the chairman’s leadership and members’ commitment, we are confident of doing even more,” he said.
On his part, the Clerk of the Committee, Ogunsanya Titus, described the retreat as a deliberate step towards repositioning the committee for better results.
“A race you adequately prepare for will always yield better outcomes than one you approach unprepared,” he said.
He explained that the retreat created room to review past activities, assess achievements and challenges, and chart a clearer path for the committee’s future work.
Titus further emphasised that the PAC, as the only constitutional committee of the National Assembly, occupies a strategic position in promoting fiscal discipline and ensuring that MDAs properly account for public funds.
Meanwhile, the committee’s consultant, Dr Samuel Ibrahim, said the training sessions were timely and designed to strengthen both the technical capacity and interpersonal skills of members and staff.
He explained that the programme combined technical sessions with soft-skill training, including stakeholder management, which he described as essential for effective engagement, information gathering and achieving results through collaboration rather than confrontation.
According to him, the technical components of the training would further empower the committee to exercise its constitutional oversight powers more effectively.
Leave a comment