Tension In The National Assembly As Senate Freezes Auditor General’s Budget Talks

The Nigerian Senate has suspended the 2025 budget defence for the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAGF) over poor preparation and inconsistencies in budget documents presented by Auditor General S.K. Chira.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts announced the suspension, warning that the OAGF risks receiving no allocation, as January 22, 2025, has been set as the deadline for all budget defences. This deadline is intended to allow the Committee on Appropriation to consolidate reports from various committees.

Chira and his team faced backlash from the committee, chaired by Senator Ahmed Wadada, after presenting mismatched budget documents and failing to answer fundamental questions about the office’s 2024 budget performance.

“The Auditor General came unprepared and could not answer basic questions concerning the 2024 budget performance of his office,” a committee member stated, expressing frustration at the situation.

Senator Wadada urged Chira to rectify the issues immediately, saying, “It is up to the Auditor General for the Federation to get prepared and return, even within two hours, as Wednesday is the final deadline.”