The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Oluwatoyin Madein, has said she did not make or authorise any payment on behalf of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation into a private account.
She said this while reacting to a letter showing a request from the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, for the payment of N585 million to a private account named Oniyelu Bridget.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the OAGF spokesman, Bawa Mokwa, Madein explained that although her Office received the said request from the Ministry, it did not carry out the payment.
She stated that her Office does not make payments on behalf of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the government for projects and programmes.
Madein said allocations are 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.
The AGF stated that she advised the minister on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure.
Madein noted that in such situations, payments are usually processed by the affected Ministries as self-accounting entities, and no bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of the Project Accountant.
She added that such payment should be sent to the beneficiaries through their verified bank accounts and advised MDAs to always ensure that the requisite steps are taken in carrying out financial transactions.
Madein, therefore, reiterated her determination to uphold the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public finances.
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