THE Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has announced that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that flout the guidelines for the management of COVID-19 funds will be sanctioned.
And top officials of such MDAs will be exposed and penalised accordingly, the OAGF warned.
The directive came up after setting up a framework where all COVID-19 funds are to be appropriated directly to participating MDAs and also spending units like the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and others.
Also, the OAGF stated that the names of the MDA and its principal officers shall be made public as an additional measure of transparency.
“Participating MDAs are reminded that the COVID-19 fund is a public fund in the truest sense of it.
“The public is invested in ensuring that the funds are utilised in the most transparent and prudent manner.
“For this reason, any participating MDA that contravenes this guideline may be sanctioned from continued participation in the programme,” the OAGF warned.
The contributions to the Private Sector Coalition against COVID-19 stood at N25.8 billion as of 17th April 2020, according to OAGF.
The accountant general said President Muhammadu Buhari had endorsed the opening of COVID-19 donor accounts as part of the current Treasury Single Account (TSA) arrangement.
The framework covers all public funds allocated and dedicated to the campaign against COVID-19, including the fiscal stimulus package.