Reps Threaten FCT Chairmen With Sanctions Over N100bn Audit Queries

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has issued a fresh seven-day summons to officials of the six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory over unresolved audit queries involving about N100 billion.

Politics Nigeria reports that the committee took the decision after the chairmen of the councils failed to appear before lawmakers to explain the financial issues raised in audit reports.

The affected councils are Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali.

The council chairmen had requested September 22, 2026, as the date for their appearance before the committee.

However, they did not attend the sitting and did not send representatives to speak on their behalf.

Following the latest absence, the committee has turned its attention to senior administrative and financial officials of the councils.

In a related development, the House of Representatives had earlier this month began probe of NNPCL and INEC over N804bn audit queries, Politics Nigeria reported.

The Directors of Personnel Management and Finance, as well as the Heads of Audit of the six councils, have been ordered to appear before the committee on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

The lawmakers warned that failure to honour the latest invitation could lead to sanctions under the relevant service rules.

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Bamidele Salam, disclosed the decision while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said the committee had given the councils an opportunity to appear after they requested a new date but were disappointed when none of the chairmen showed up.

“The last date of appearance of the Abuja Area Councils was September 22, 2026, which was a date they requested and which was graciously granted by the committee. Yet, they failed to appear or send in any representation.

“The committee has therefore decided to issue summons to the Directors of Personnel Management and Finance of these local governments, including their Heads of Audit, to appear without fail on Wednesday, October 14, failure of which they will be made to bear consequences according to service rules.”

The matter is linked to the Annual Audit Report of the Auditor-General for the Six FCT Area Councils for the financial year ended December 31, 2021.

The report raised questions about several financial transactions and obligations recorded by the councils.

Among the issues highlighted was an outstanding liability of about N7.65 billion.

The amount was linked to unremitted pension deductions, Pay As You Earn, Value Added Tax and withholding tax. It also included unpaid obligations to contractors.

The distribution of the liabilities showed that Abuja Municipal Area Council had the highest figure at N2.19 billion.

Bwari followed with N1.49 billion, while Kwali recorded N1.46 billion.

Gwagwalada had outstanding liabilities of about N1.01 billion. Kuje accounted for N892.2 million, while Abaji recorded N593.8 million.

The audit report said the outstanding sums were expected to be remitted to relevant government agencies, including the Nigeria Revenue Service, FCT Inland Revenue Service and Pension Fund Administrators.

Some of the funds were also meant for contractors whose obligations remained unsettled.

The report stated: “The Auditor General for the Six Area Councils reported in the annual report of the year 2021 that the Six Area Councils had outstanding liabilities of N7.6bn as at December 31, 2021 comprising unremitted pension deduction, unremitted Pay as You Earn (PAYE), unpaid capital projects, unpaid value added tax and withholding tax.”

The committee is also examining how the councils handled their expenditure during the period under review.

According to the audit findings, the six councils spent a combined N24.87 billion on personnel, overheads and capital expenditure in 2021.

AMAC accounted for N5.03 billion of the expenditure.

Gwagwalada spent N4.66 billion, while Kuje recorded N3.85 billion.

Kwali spent N3.84 billion, followed by Bwari with N3.74 billion and Abaji with N3.71 billion.

The lawmakers are seeking detailed explanations and supporting documents for the spending, with particular attention on the capital expenditure component.

Another concern raised by the Auditor-General was the failure of some councils to properly maintain their fixed asset registers.

Gwagwalada Area Council was specifically mentioned over its non-current assets valued at about N336 million.

The report said the records relating to the assets were not properly maintained and updated, raising concerns about the ability of the council to keep track of its properties.

It stated: “The Auditor General for the Six Area Council reported that the value of non-current assets of Gwagwalada Area Council stood at N336m. However, the Auditor General observed that the ledger records of the non-current assets were not properly maintained and updated when due, which could give room for loss of assets without being traced. This exception is common among other FCT Area Councils.”

The concerns before the committee are not limited to the 2021 financial year.

Salam said the committee had also identified issues in audit reports covering 2022 and part of 2023.

These include alleged understatement of Internally Generated Revenue, unauthorised disposal of assets, failure to disclose statutory revenue and non-remittance of withholding tax to the appropriate authorities.

The committee is also concerned about the councils’ financial reporting for more recent years.

According to Salam, the six councils have not audited and submitted their financial accounts for 2023, 2024 and 2025 as required.

The failure to submit the accounts has added another layer to the committee’s concerns as it seeks to establish how public funds were received, spent and accounted for by the councils.

The Public Accounts Committee is empowered to examine audited public accounts and investigate financial issues identified in reports submitted by the Auditor-General.

Its latest action is therefore aimed at obtaining explanations and documents from officials who are directly responsible for the financial and audit records of the councils.

The summoned officials are expected to appear with the relevant financial records and respond to the questions raised in the audit reports.

Salam said officials found responsible for any established financial breaches would be required to face the consequences provided by law and applicable regulations.