The AGF who was reacting to a memo sent to the office by Dr Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, said the AGF failed to make the said payment and rather advised the minister on the appropriate steps to go about it.
The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, has clarified that the OAGF does not make payments on behalf of Ministries, Departments and Agencies for projects and programmes implemented by the MDAs.
The AGF who was reacting to a memo sent to the office by Dr Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, said the AGF failed to make the said payment and rather advised the minister on the appropriate steps to go about it.
Edu has been under fire since Friday when SaharaReporters reported how she asked for N585.198million payment into a private account for a said project without following the due process.
It was reported that Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation asked the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein to send public funds to a private account.
The private account belongs to Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola, identified as a project manager by the minister.
A letter from the minister with reference number: FMHAPA/HQ/OHM/S.208 to the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Madein dated December 20, 2023, had asked that over N585 million should be sent to a private account.
The letter signed by the minister, Dr Edu, is titled “Mandate for Payment of Grant for Vulnerable Groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos and Ogun States Respectively.”
But in a release on Saturday, the OAGF clarified that the minister made infractions which made the request not to be honoured.
According to Bawa Mokwa, the OAGF Director (Press), the office said, “The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, has clarified that the OAGF does not make payments on behalf of MDAs for projects and programmes implemented by the MDAs.
“The AGF was reacting to media reports concerning a request from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to pay grants to vulnerable groups in some States of the Federation.
“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.
“In a statement in Abuja, the AGF explained that although her Office received the said request from the Ministry, it did not carry out the payment.
The Ministry was, however, advised on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure.
“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 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.”
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