NEWS
Reps Investigate Remittances by CBN, NNPC to FG
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has stepped up investigation into revenue remittances by federal agencies into the Federation Account.
Consequently, the house directed the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to submit a detailed account of outstanding operating surplus and other revenues allegedly owed to the Federal Government by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), and other government-owned enterprises.
The committee also demanded explanations over allegations that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) deducted funds from the statutory accounts of several Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including the reported withdrawal of N15bn from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), raising concerns that the practice may have hampered the agencies’ ability to carry out their statutory mandates.
The directives were issued during an investigative hearing at the National Assembly, where the Accountant-General of the Federation (AFG), Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, appeared alongside senior officials of the Treasury.
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The hearing forms part of the committee’s broader oversight of public finances and compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which requires government-owned enterprises to remit a prescribed percentage of their operating surplus to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The operating surplus regime is intended to strengthen government revenues and curb leakages, but compliance has remained a recurring concern, with several agencies accused over the years of either under-remitting or failing to remit altogether.
Opening the discussion, a member of the committee, Gboyega Isiaka, expressed concern over Nigeria’s weak revenue performance, arguing that poor remittance compliance continued to undermine the country’s fiscal position.
Addressing the nation’s top accountant, the lawmaker said, “Considering our GDP, ours is one of the lowest on the continent, at about 16 percent. Business entities are expected to return about 80 percent of their operating surplus, while others remit between 20 and 50 percent.
“From everything we are seeing, there still appears to be a backlog of remittances. Can you provide some figures? Beyond that, as a member of the economic management team, how satisfied are you with the performance of agencies such as the CBN, SEC, NIMASA, and others, considering the scale of assets they manage?
“It is not enough to say they remitted 80 percent of their surpluses. What exactly is the surplus they are declaring? We need to examine that against the assets under their control, as well as the revenues they ought to have paid but have not.”
Responding, the Director of Revenue and Investment at the OAGF, Makinde Mogaji, disclosed that the CBN allegedly owed the Federal Government N5.3tn in unremitted operating surplus.
He said previous efforts by the Public Accounts Committee to recover the funds had not yielded results. “Early last year, the CBN was owing the Federal Government N5.3tn as operating surplus. Despite the efforts of the Public Accounts Committee to recover the money, it has not been paid.
“Seventy percent of that amount ought to have been remitted, but the CBN refused to pay. That is just one of our major sources of revenue. In contrast, an agency like FAAN has remitted N473bn,” he said.
The hearing also examined the OAGF’s policy of automatic deductions from the accounts of MDAs, a mechanism introduced to recover anticipated operating surplus before the end of the fiscal year.
Defending the policy, Ogunjimi said it had significantly improved government revenue collections. “That was an ingenious way of taking, in advance, what was due to the government, and it helped us generate substantial revenue last year,” he said.
He, however, acknowledged that the policy attracted resistance from some agencies, leading to reviews and reversals in certain cases.
“When we introduced the initiative and generated significant revenue, some agencies sought reversals. Some went to the President, arguing that the deductions were excessive. In some cases, the deductions were cancelled entirely; in others, they were reduced.
“We have continued to manage those issues, which is one reason we have not been able to sustain the level of collections achieved last year. There were also instances where agencies such as the NNPC refused to cooperate to the extent that they had to be asked to leave because of their non-compliance. While NNPCL accepted some of the liabilities, it disputed others, and those issues are still being considered by a post-mortem committee.”
Providing further clarification, Mogaji said the auto-deduction framework remained operational and was designed to reconcile agencies’ actual operating surplus after their accounts had been finalised.
“Yes, the auto-deduction system introduced last year is still in operation. It is designed to recover operating surplus in advance, after which agencies compute their actual surplus to determine whether they have been over-deducted or owe additional remittances. The figures we currently have are still subject to reconciliation and should not be regarded as final,” he explained.
The committee, however, questioned the legality and implications of deductions from the accounts of agencies established to deliver essential public services.
The Chairman of the Committee, Bamidele Salam, cited petitions from UBEC and several other agencies alleging that statutory funds had been withdrawn without prompt reimbursement.
“There is an ongoing investigation involving UBEC and other agencies. UBEC claimed that funds approved under its November 2025 Authority to Incur Expenditure were not released by the Accountant-General. It also alleged that N16bn and another N15bn were taken from the commission’s account without refund.
“We are concerned about these deductions from statutory allocations to critical government institutions. It is not only UBEC. NASENI raised similar complaints involving over N70bn, and several other agencies have also made similar allegations. So, what is the justification?” he asked.
Responding, Ogunjimi maintained that the withdrawals were temporary and undertaken only to meet urgent government financing needs, with the understanding that the funds would be refunded when required.
“There have been occasions when the government needed to meet critical financial obligations, and we temporarily utilised funds belonging to some agencies. It is essentially a loan, and we have been refunding those agencies.
“The Accountant-General cannot arbitrarily withdraw money from agencies’ accounts. We first analyse how long the funds have remained idle, acting on directives from the Honourable Minister. If funds have remained unutilised for several months and the government urgently requires financing, we temporarily deploy them and refund the money when the agency needs it.
“For example, we utilised over N300bn belonging to TETFund and subsequently refunded the entire amount. Whenever an agency requests its funds for approved projects, we process the refund,” he added.
Salam, however, rejected the explanation, insisting that statutory agencies should not be deprived of funds appropriated by law for their programmes.
“Which agencies have actually been refunded? UBEC is complaining, NASENI is complaining, NBC is complaining, and several others currently under investigation have made similar claims. Their major grievance is that funds are withdrawn from their accounts, leaving them unable to carry out the responsibilities for which the money was appropriated.
“Take UBEC, for instance. We all know the consequences of neglecting basic education, particularly in northern Nigeria. We have about 13.5 million out-of-school children.”
According to Salam, “UBEC is expected to build schools, provide infrastructure, and supply instructional materials. It cannot effectively discharge those responsibilities if its statutory funds are diverted to other purposes.”
The committee subsequently directed the OAGF to submit detailed records of outstanding operating surplus owed by the CBN, NNPCL and other government-owned enterprises, as well as documentation showing deductions made from MDA accounts, refunds already effected and outstanding balances.
The investigation is expected to continue in the coming weeks as lawmakers seek to determine the extent of compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, recover outstanding revenues due to the Federal Government, and establish whether the deductions from statutory agency accounts were carried out within the ambit of the law.
Nigerian women allegedly being held at a deportation facility in India have cried out over their treatment, with a video circulating online showing some of them displaying injuries and alleging that security personnel flogged detainees.
The video began circulating online on Wednesday and shows a group of Nigerian women inside and around what they described as a deportation camp.
Several of the women pointed to marks, bruises and apparent injuries on their legs, feet and bodies while alleging that they were beaten with sticks or canes.
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“See my video, see my leg,” one of the women could be heard saying in the footage.
Another woman said, “Mona see wetin dem dey do for deportation camp.”
“Deportation camp, na dem flog person, see,” another woman said while showing what appeared to be an injury.
The women further alleged that female detainees were beaten with sticks.
“Dem dey use stick dey flog women, mona dey see am,” one of them said.
Another woman, while pointing at an injured detainee, said, “Dem carry cane flog o… see her body, dem flog am.”
The women also alleged that police officers carried sticks inside the facility.
“Police carry stick like say dem dey cut firewood,” one of the women said.
The footage shows the women appearing distressed as they moved through the facility and gathered in an outdoor area.
They repeatedly appealed to Nigerians to share the video and draw attention to their situation.
“Make una see… make this video trend/go,” one woman said.
“Make una share am,” another added.
One of the women also expressed frustration over their alleged experience at the facility, saying, “We don suffer, every time, every time.”
The footage comes amid ongoing concerns over Nigerians detained at the Lampur detention centre, also known as Sewa Sadan, in New Delhi.
Recall that in September, reports emerged that more than 200 Nigerians were being held at the facility, with some detainees alleging poor food, inadequate medical care and prolonged detention.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) subsequently defended its handling of the situation and said the Nigerian High Commission in India was seeking another amnesty period to facilitate the departure of Nigerians without proper immigration documentation.
No official response from the Indian authorities or the Nigerian government specifically addressing the allegations in the latest video had been made available at the time of publication.
Rights activist, public affairs analyst and Chief Executive Officer of The Dialogue, Shehu Muhammad, has questioned the continued occurrence of military aircraft crashes despite the huge budgetary allocations to the country’s defence and security sector.
Muhammad spoke while reacting to the recent Nigerian Navy aircraft crash in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
Describing the incident as “one incident too many,” he recalled that Nigeria had recorded several military aircraft crashes involving the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Army over the years.
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He said the recurring incidents had raised concerns among members of the public about the condition of military aircraft and the process through which military hardware is procured.
“People have begun to cast aspersions as to the honesty, sincerity, and openness in the purchase of military hardware, including airplanes,” Muhammad said.
According to him, the concerns are heightened by the substantial funds allocated to the military and other security agencies over the years.
“There are insinuations by the public that, after all, the military receive the highest amount of money from the budget year in, year out,” he said.
Muhammad also questioned the transparency of defence procurement, particularly the process of selecting contractors for the supply of military equipment.
He argued that the repeated crashes should prompt authorities to examine military aviation operations, aircraft procurement and the management of defence resources.
The latest crash occurred in Irele, Ondo State, with recovery efforts reportedly complicated by the difficult terrain around the crash site.
Muhammad said the latest incident should not be treated in isolation, but should lead to broader questions about military aviation safety and the management of resources allocated to the defence sector.
He called for greater transparency and accountability in the procurement and management of military hardware to restore public confidence.
Rights activist and public affairs analyst, Shehu Mohammed, has called for the scrapping of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), saying the scheme has outlived its usefulness amid growing security concerns across the country.
Shehu made the call on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, while reacting to the kidnapping of prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps in Akwa Ibom and Anambra states.
He described the incident as “one incident too many,” noting that kidnapping, maiming and the detention of victims in kidnappers’ camps had become frequent in several parts of the country.
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“I think it is just a case of one incident too many. There are more unreported cases of kidnapping and maiming and detention in kidnappers’ den, almost all over the country, especially in the northern part of the country: the Middle North West, North East, and North Central. It’s a daily, daily happening,” Sani said.
He said the security situation had made him question the continued relevance of the NYSC scheme, which was established to promote national unity.
“When Bukola was saying that she objects to the scrapping of NYSC, I tend to take a different view. My view is that the entire NYSC was meant to unite Nigeria, but if in uniting Nigeria you lose your daughter, you lose your son, you lose your uncle, you lose your sister, you lose your neighbour, then it’s not worth the trouble,” he said.
Shehu argued that corps members should instead be allowed to serve in their respective states, eliminating the need for young Nigerians to travel long distances to orientation camps.
“This NYSC issue should be scrapped, removed from the constitution, allow each and every corps member to serve in his own state, traveling with all the dangers, with all the costs,” he said.
He also highlighted the financial burden placed on families when corps members are posted far from their home states.
“If a child is going from Katsina to Anambra State to report to the camp, minimum that you give him is three hundred thousand naira for transfer cost, three hundred. How many parents have three hundred thousand naira to give their wards?” Sani asked.
He said the financial burden was only one aspect of the problem, with corps members also facing security risks and possible trauma during interstate travel.
“Minus all the dangers, the consequences, the uncertainties, the traumas involved. If your child has to go through a trauma, through uncertainty, through pain, through kidnapping, through raping, eventually through killing, why do you have to go for NYSC?” he said.
“As far as I’m concerned, the NYSC project has outlived its usefulness. It should be scrapped.”
Shehu also warned that kidnapping in Nigeria was taking a new dimension, with criminal groups increasingly targeting vulnerable groups.
“Corps members are vulnerable groups. Travelers for commercial purposes all over the country are vulnerable groups. Therefore they are now going for soft targets,” he said.
According to him, kidnappers also use abductions to blackmail victims’ families and government authorities into paying ransom.
“The next one is blackmailing either the parents or blackmailing government to collect money,” he said.
Sani alleged that ransom payments were subsequently used to finance criminal activities.
“So they can finance their arm purchase. They can finance their purchase of hard drugs to enable them operate without pity and compassion, and to send permanent fear into the community,” he said.
He added that the kidnappers were using their activities to create fear within communities, despite being relatively few in number.
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