The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, has clarified that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) does not make payments on behalf of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) of the government for projects and programmes implemented by the MDAs.
The AGF made the clarification while reacting to media reports concerning a request from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for payment of grants to vulnerable groups in some states of the Federation.
She stated that allocations were released to self-accounting MDAs in line with the budget and such MDAs are responsible for the implementation of their projects and payments for such projects.
In a statement issued on Saturday by Bawa Mokwa, director (Press) in the OAGF, the AGF explained that although her Office received the said request from the ministry, it did not carry out the payment.
The ministry was, however, advised on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure.
The AGF noted that in such situations, payments were usually processed by the affected ministries as self-accounting entities, and no bulk payment was supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of Project Accountant.
She added that such payment should be sent to the beneficiaries through their verified bank accounts.
Dr Madein reiterated her determination to uphold the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public finances.
She advised MDAs to always ensure that the requisite steps were taken in carrying out financial transactions.
