Presidential Amnesty Programme Accused of Mismanagement of Over N6 Billion, Including Payments for Ghost Students

A recent report by the Auditor General of the Federation has uncovered significant financial mismanagement within the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), revealing that over N6 billion was withdrawn without proper auditing or supporting documentation. The report, part of the Auditor-General’s Annual Report on Non-Compliance and Internal Control Weaknesses, covers irregularities found between 2020 and 2021, including improper tuition payments and a lack of internal controls.

One of the major issues highlighted in the audit was the payment of N1.53 billion in tuition fees to various universities for students enrolled under the PAP, despite the absence of relevant supporting documents such as receipts, admission letters, or payment evidence. The Financial Regulations (FR) of 2009 stipulate that payments should only be made for services rendered, with full documentation provided. The report noted that this rule was violated repeatedly, with no justification for the payments made.

In addition to the improper tuition payments, the report also revealed that N3.62 billion was raised without undergoing internal audit checks. The PAP management failed to provide any explanation for this non-compliance. Furthermore, N1.3 billion was approved, paid, and entered into the cash book without issuing paid vouchers, raising further concerns about financial accountability.

Other irregularities included the granting of cash advances exceeding the permissible limit of N200,000 to PAP officers without evidence of previous advances being retired, as well as the payment of N87.7 million for various store items with no documentation showing that the items had been properly accounted for in the store ledger.

The Auditor General’s report concluded that the management of the PAP had failed to respond to these concerns, allowing the mismanagement to continue. The report recommends that the interim administration of the PAP be held accountable and provide justification for these unapproved payments. It also calls for the recovery and remittance of mismanaged funds to the treasury and sanctions against those responsible for these irregularities.

In response to the findings, the Auditor General advised that these issues be addressed by the National Assembly, and evidence of remittance of the mismanaged funds should be submitted to the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly.