33 Enugu State firms fail to submit audited accounts for up to 15 years, Auditor-General complains in 2020 Audit Report

Thirty-three companies owned by the Enugu State and schools had been discovered to be in breach of the constitution for failure to submit their audited annual accounts, some as far as 1991, according to the 2020 Enugu State Audit Report.

Dr. Livinus Okoro, the state’s Auditor-General, noted that the actions of the firms violates Section 125, sub-section 3 of the 1999 Nigerian constitution which mandates such bodies to produce their audited annual accounts and forward them to the auditor general for review and comments.

According to the Auditor-General’s report, the “non-compliance by the chief executives and boards of directors of these establishments in fulfilling the mandate of section 125 (3) of the 1999 constitution and the relevant laws establishing them smacks of absolute disregard to transparency and accountability which hallmarks good governance.”

The State House of Assembly which is invested with the constitutional right to instil financial discipline in those establishments, as well as ensure the observance of due process in the conduct of their activities seem to have looked the other way.

Enugu State government slated some of the affected establishments for privatisation and commercialisation since 2013. It voted money for the privatisation exercise in its 2013 budget, but nothing happened.

Non-compliant firms include companies and parastatals are the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation, Enugu State Transport Company, Niger Steel Company Ltd, and Niger Gas Company. They include Enugu State Gaming Commission, United Palm Ltd, Nigeria Construction and Furniture Company and the Premier Cashew Industry, Oghe, known to have become distressed.

Others are the Nike Lake Protea Hotel, Sunrise Flour Mills Ltd, Rangers Management Corporation and the Enugu State Broadcasting Service.

Listed are the Rural Electrification Board, Post-Primary Schools Management Board, Agency for Mass Literacy, Enugu State Council for Arts & Culture, Awgu Games Village, and the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board

Educational institutions on the list are the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Institute of Management & Technology, Enugu State College of Education (Technical) and the Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo.

Summit News has reached out to the firms listed and to the Auditor-General for more clarification. We will publish their reactions in the second part of this report that brings to fore the criticality of the audit reports of both the government and various organisations.

The Enugu State Auditor General’s report lists the erring MDAs in a tabulation.

Sn Name of parastatals, tertiary institutions, boards, and companies Outstanding years of unaudited account

1 Enugu State University of Science & Technology 2018-2020

2 Pilgrim Welfare Christian Board 1996-2020

3 Enugu State Housing Development Corporation 2017-2020

4 Enugu State Transport Company 2010-2020

5 Niger Steel Company Ltd 2003-2020

6 Community Development Coordinating Council 2003-2020

7 Rural Electrification Board 1991-2020

8 Post-Primary Schools Management Board 2019-2020

9` Agency for Mass Literacy 2003-2020

10 Enugu State Council for Arts and Culture 2003-2020