Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
Thirty-three Enugu State owned companies, schools and companies are 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 I Okoro, Enugu State Auditor-General, noted that the action 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
11 Awgu Games Village 2003-2020
12 Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board 2020
13 Tourism Board, Enugu 1992-2020
14 Institute of Management and Technology 2017-2020
15 Niger Gas Company Ltd 2003-2020
16 Enugu State Water Corporation 2015-2020
17 Enugu State Library Board 2002-2020
18 Ada Rice Project 2003-2020
19 Enugu State Gaming Commission 1999-2020
20 United Palm Ltd 1999-2020
21 Enugu State Science and Technical Vocational Board 2007-2020
22 Enugu State College of Education (Technical) 2017-2020
23 Nigeria Construction and Furniture Company 2008-2020
24 Premier Cashew Industry Oghe 2018-2020
25 Nike Lake Protea Hotel 2018-2020
26 Sunrise Flour Mills Ltd 1999-2020
27 Enugu State Waste Management Authority 2010-2020
28 Enugu State Broadcasting Service 2010-2020
29 Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo 2016-2020
30 Agency for Legal Aid Council 2007-2020
31 Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) 2015-2020
32 Enugu State Scholarship Board 2007-2020
33 Rangers Management Corporation 2010-2020
