Representatives issue final call to FCT council officials over N100 billion audit question

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives has issued a seven-day final summons to officials in the six Regional Councils of the Federal Capital Territory over outstanding audit questions involving billions of naira.

The committee took this decision after the six chairmen of the council did not comply with the invitation to appear before it on September 22, 2026, even though they themselves requested the date.

The officials summoned are the Director of Personnel Management and Finance and Head of Audit Abaji, Abuja City Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali Area Councils.

They are expected to appear before the committee on Wednesday, October 14 2026 with relevant notes and explanations, or face sanctions in accordance with applicable service regulations.

The audit questions come from the Auditor General’s Annual Audit Report for the Six FCT Area Councils for the year ended 31 December 2021.

According to the report, the six councils have outstanding liabilities of about N7.65 billion arising from outstanding pension deductions, Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Value Added Tax (VAT) and withholding taxes, as well as unpaid liabilities to contractors.

AMAC contributed the highest amount at N2.19 billion, followed by Bwari with N1.49 billion and Kwali with N1.46 billion.

Gwagwalada has outstanding liabilities of N1.01 billion, while Kuje and Abaji are listed at N892.2 million and N593.8 million respectively.

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

The report said the outstanding liabilities were remittances to the Nigerian Revenue Service, FCT Inland Revenue Service, Pension Fund Administrator and contractors.

The Auditor General also raised concerns over the board’s management of fixed assets, blaming them for failing to properly maintain and update their fixed assets register.

Gwagwalada Area Council was specifically cited for non-current assets worth N336 million which, according to the audit report, were not properly recorded and updated.

It stated: “The Auditor General of the Six Area Councils reported that the value of non-current assets of Gwagwalada Area Council stood at N336m.

“However, the Auditor General observed that non-current assets ledger records were not properly maintained and updated at maturity, which could provide scope for assets to disappear without traceability. This exception is common in other FCT Area Councils.”

The committee also examined expenditure of N24.87 billion incurred by the six councils on personnel, overhead and capital projects in 2021.

AMAC accounted for N5.03 billion in expenditure, while Gwagwalada spent N4.66 billion, Kuje N3.85 billion, Kwali N3.84 billion, Bwari N3.74 billion and Abaji N3.71 billion.

Lawmakers are seeking detailed explanations and supporting documents for the spending, with particular attention to the capital component.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Bamidele Salam, said the board had repeatedly failed to adequately respond to invitations and requests for documents required to resolve audit questions.

He said, “The last date for Abuja Area Council to appear was September 22, 2026, a date they requested and was duly agreed to by the committee.However, they failed to attend or send any representation.

“Therefore, the Committee has decided to issue a summons to the Director of Personnel Management and Finance of the said regional government, including its Head of Audit, to appear without fail on Wednesday, October 14, failing which, they will be subject to consequences in accordance with the service rules.”

In addition to the 2021 audit report, the committee said it had also identified problems in subsequent reports covering 2022 and part of 2023.

These include allegations of understatement of Original Regional Income, illegal disposal of assets, non-disclosure of statutory income and failure to remit withheld taxes to the authorities.

Salam also revealed that the six boards failed to audit and submit financial reports for 2023, 2024 and 2025 as required by law.

He stressed the need for public funds to be managed transparently and carefully, and warned that officials found responsible for financial violations would be held accountable in accordance with the law.

The Public Accounts Committee has its mandate under the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to examine audited public accounts and investigate financial irregularities identified by the Auditor General.

This latest summons aims to compel relevant officials from the six FCT Area Councils to appear before MPs and provide explanations and supporting documents regarding outstanding audit questions.