Akwa Ibom State house of Assembly has tasked ministries, departments and agencies of government to immediately set up audit committees for proper retirement of monies spent.
The chairman , House committee on Public Accounts, Mr Eric Akpan who stated this at the commencement of the consideration of 2024 audit report sent to the house by the auditor general of the state, stressed that all ministries must establish audit committees.
Mr Eric Akpan, while engaging MDAs on their queries, said the Audit Committee must be headed by the accounting officer of the ministry.
He noted that the duties of the Audit Committee shall include: Implementing all recommendations contained in the State Auditor General’s Report which are approved by the house of Assembly and to prepare an annual report showing the status of the implementation of those recommendations.
On the issue of non retirement of special imprest, Mr Eric Akpan who is also the member representing Nsit Ibom state constituency in the house, said it was a wilful attempt to frustrate the effort of government in the direction of accurate documentation which hinders the preparation and presentation of realistic time based performance accountability report.
He directed that all outstanding unretired special imprest against any MDAs at the office of the Accountant General of the state be fully retired within the last quarter of 2025 or risk sanction from further release of special imprest.
Ministries that appeared before the committee on the first day includes ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Cottage Hospital Ukana, Cottage Hospital, Ikot Abia, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, General Services Office, Ministry of works, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Hospitals Management Board and the General Hospital, Ikot Ekpene.
Others were, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Office of the State Surveyor General, Psychiatry Hospital, Eket, Emmanuel Hospital Eket, State Secondary Education Board, Ministry of Digital Economy, Akwa Ibom Investment Corporation, Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance.
