By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

ABUJA—The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, OAGF, has engaged 18 professional audit companies to undertake the audit of federal paraststals and agencies with more than N100 billion annual turnover. According to the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, the audit which would cover 2010 to 2015, would be completed in 18 months.

The move, he said, “is in line with the Federal Government’s agenda to institutionalise fiscal discipline, transparency, probity and accountability in the management of public finances.” He told the auditors that the exercise “will enable government to assess the true state of its revenue generation, capital and recurrent (personnel and overhead) expenditure across the ministries, departments and agencies.

“This is to enable Federal Government reach better decisions in view of dwindling inflow of revenue.” Alhaji Idris, who was represented by the Director, Funds, Alhaji Salau Zubairu, at a meeting with the consultants in Abuja, Tuesday, underscored the importance of the assignment and urged them to be “effective and professional while carrying out their assignment”.

The AGF also charged them to engage young qualified Nigerians to assist them in the assignment, especially considering the volume of work to be done. The first phase of this assignment, the AGF said, was divided into two categories and would involve 33 agencies. Category A comprises eight agencies with a turnover of above N100 billion, while category B involves 25 agencies with a turnover of below N100 billion.