The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, has clarified that her office does not make payments on behalf of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for projects and programmes implemented by MDAs.
In a Saturday statement, the AGF explained that although her office received a request from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to make certain payments, it did not act on it.
According to her, the Ministry was however advised on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure.
She stated that allocations are released to self-accounting MDAs in line with the budget and such MDAs are responsible for the implementation of their projects and payments for such projects.
The AGF noted that in such situations, payments are usually processed by the affected ministries as self-accounting entities, and no bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of the Project Accountant.
She added that such payment should be sent to the beneficiaries through their verified bank accounts.
Dr. Madein reiterated her determination to uphold the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public finances. She advised MDAs to always ensure that the requisite steps are taken in carrying out financial transactions.
Her comment was in reaction to reports about a request from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for payment of grants to vulnerable groups in some states of the federation.
A document recently emerged showing that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Betta Edu allegedly disbursed N585,198,500.00 into a personal account.
According to the viral document signed by Edu and directed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the minister instructed the disbursement of N585,198,500.00 to a private account.
The document also showed that the payment of the N585.198 million grant was meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states,
This development caused a social media outrage with many wondering why such a huge amount of money would be paid into a private account.
However, the Minister in her reaction has insisted that the N585.198 million payment for the vulnerable group followed due process.
In a statement, Edu’s media aide Rasheed Zubair explained that the payment of the grant to the account of an individual was because the fellow currently serves as the Project Accountant of Grants for Vulnerable Groups.