Secrets Reporters
A comprehensive cross-institutional examination of accounting documentation has uncovered systemic compliance breaches, unretired advances, procurement irregularities, and missing financial statements spanning 13 federal institutions.
The investigative review highlights a widespread breakdown of internal financial controls, ranging from military training bases and tertiary health institutions to federal research bodies and key fiscal regulators.
The highest monetary infractions were recorded at the Ground Training Command in Enugu (₦97.79 million) over unsubstantiated allowances and unreturned unit transfers, National Hospital in Abuja (₦56.70 million) regarding unrecorded store items and unapproved fee waivers, and the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (₦52.23 million) over unapproved vehicle procurements. Significant breaches were also documented at the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (₦50.06 million) involving unretired advances, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (₦49.05 million) over IGR under-remittance and excessive collection costs, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (₦47.62 million) for unapproved international travel, National Hydrographic Agency (₦33.75 million) over unbacked fuel expenses, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (₦30.66 million) for unapproved allowances, and Federal Training Centre, Ilorin (₦28.53 million) for contract splitting.
Smaller financial breaches occurred at Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji (₦8.89 million), Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences (₦4.37 million), and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (₦3.99 million). Crucially, the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority completely failed to submit annual audited financial statements.
Defense, Security & Technical Bodies: Ground Training Command, Enugu (₦97,788,451.99): Flagged for ₦66.72 million in unsubstantiated non-regular allowances, ₦20.37 million in cash advances above approved limits, and ₦10.71 million transferred to units without expenditure returns. National Hydrographic Agency, Abuja (₦33,750,000.00): Unbacked monthly diesel procurement disbursements lacking supporting receipts or usage logs. Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji (₦8,894,910.00): Misapplication of budgeted operational funds, alongside complete non-submission of annual financial statements. Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences, Jos (₦4,365,300.00): Cash advances granted to personnel above statutory regulatory limits.
Governance, Policy & Educational Institutions: Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Abuja (₦50,057,574.00): Cited for ₦33.38 million in unretired cash advances and ₦16.67 million in store items never taken on ledger charge. Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Abuja (₦30,661,725.00): Disbursed ₦22.27 million in unapproved allowances and ₦8.39 million in unmonitored diesel procurement and storage. Federal Training Centre, Ilorin (₦28,525,661.57): Artificial contract splitting to circumvent procurement approval thresholds, alongside non-compliance with Federal Character principles during staff recruitment.
Health Institutions & Human Services: National Hospital, Abuja (₦56,700,736.50): Procured store items worth ₦33.40 million never taken on ledger charge, alongside ₦23.30 million in unapproved waivers granted to staff and non-staff. University of Benin Teaching Hospital (₦52,228,121.94): Unauthorized motor vehicle purchases conducted through an unapproved vendor. University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (₦49,052,488.59): Under-remitted ₦23.83 million in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) and incurred ₦25.23 million in excessive revenue collection expenses. National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Abuja (₦47,622,947.00): International travel disbursements issued without mandatory prior approval. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi (₦3,986,551.45): Contractor retention fees released without required job completion certifications.
Total Disclosure Deficits (Non-Submission of Accounts): Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Kaduna: Failed to produce audited financial statements for external audit, operating without public financial accountability. Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority: Complete non-submission of annual financial statements, violating mandatory reporting guidelines.
The multi-agency findings highlight recurring violations of Nigeria’s financial management laws: Financial Regulations 2009: Governs cash advance ceilings, prompt advance retirement, store ledger intake, and mandatory documentation for official allowances and travel. Public Procurement Act 2007: Explicitly bans contract splitting to evade higher authority approval limits and regulates vendor vetting and retention fee releases. Public Sector Accounting Standards: Enforces compulsory annual financial reporting by all public agencies to maintain fiscal transparency.
These compliance failures across military, medical, research, and regulatory agencies underscore a pervasive lack of internal controls.
