Forensic audit bill: Group uncovers Auditor-General’s sabotage, tells him to stay away

A prominent civil society organization, Nigeria Integrity Movement, NIM, has cautioned the office of the Auditor General of the Federation against sabotaging the anti corruption project of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.

Mr Kayode Esan, the Convener and Coordinator of NIM, made this known on Tuesday at a media parley with selected newsmen in Abuja.

During the briefing, Mr Esan, informed the newsmen of an alleged unholy move led by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation to sabotage the proposed, Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (CIFIPN) bill – that has passed through third reading at the National Assembly.

“According to the proposed bill, the new institute, when passed by the legislators and assented by Mr President, will address the various loopholes that are exploited by people in both public and private sector shortchanged by the system. In fact, this bill is coming at a time when the fight against corruption has gone technological thus the need to apply technology in the fight against corruption in any form or shape. No doubt Mr President is intensifying the war against corruption and economic sabotage by those who don’t have the interest of the country at heart; and CIFIPN in this regard is a child of necessity”, Mr Esan stated.

Mr Esan wondered why the office of the Auditor-General, that is supposed to be the vanguard in the fight against graft and illicit exploitation of the system for personal and selfish aggrandizement, will turn around to be the clog in the wheel rather than collaborate with men of good reasoning and intention to nip corruption on the bud.

“It is preposterous that the opposition to the CIFIPN bill is coming from the office of Auditor-General – an institution that is naturally mandated to promote ideas and initiatives that will block leakages”, Mr Esan laments.

Speaking further, Mr Esan advised the Auditor General of the Federation, Mr Adolphus Aghughu, against any attempt, through himself or through his office, against sabotaging the CIFIPN bill.

“It will be in the best interest of Mr Aghughu and other officers at the AGF’s office to tow the path of honor by giving support to this bill because history, Nigeria Integrity Movement and Nigerians will hold them accountable should the bill suffer a setback as a result of their opposition.

The group urges President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders to be on high alert against any move that will undermine his administration’s anti-corruption project implicitly or explicitly. The war against corruption must go scientific to achieve evidence based results – and this is where CIFIPN loom into relevance. Since corruption is multi-faceted in nature,the approach to arresting it must be scientific and collaborative; and CIFIPN aims to collaborate rather than duplicate the functions of statutory agencies in the fight against corruption.