FG approves auditor general access to NNPC, subsidiaries’ accounts

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu, has said the government is willing to allow Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF) full access to accounts of its joint venture companies and other of its subsidiaries during audit processes.

The minister gave the nod when the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF), Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine, paid him a courtesy call in his office in Abuja.

He assured the auditor general that when the ministry was doing the audit of its joint ventures and companies, the OAuGF would be involved and included in the team.

He also gave the assurance that his ministry would ensure that representatives of OAuGF had easy access to all the documents they required to carry out their audit checks.

Dr. Kachukwu revealed that the ministry had transmuted from being a supervisory body to a huge income-driving ministry with over $10bn income earning capacity despite falling crude oil prices.

In his comments, the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF), Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine, emphasised the fact that transparency was very essential in the efforts of advancement of a better Nigeria.

According to him, the essence of audit was for value addition and that the OAuGF was desirous of having a good working relationship and to add value to the operations of the NNPC.

Speaking further, the auditor general pointed out the necessity for the authorised staff of the OAuGF to have access to documents of NNNPC’s Joint Venture Operations and also carry out checks in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) companies.

He said this was necessary for the purpose of transparency, accountability and in the national interest.