The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has pledged its support for enforcing compliance with government guidelines and circulars on the execution of constituency projects.
The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Babatunde Ogunjimi, gave the assurance when he received the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Onwusoro Maduka Ihemelandu, during a courtesy visit in Abuja.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Director of Information at the OAGF, Mallam Bawa Mokwa.
Mr. Ogunjimi reaffirmed the OAGF’s commitment to supporting the Ministry’s campaign to ensure full compliance with government directives on the execution and payment of constituency projects.
“We will give bite to these guidelines. We will ensure that the guidelines are adequately projected and that they become a prerequisite part of documentation for all constituency projects,” he said.
The AGF also promised to incorporate discussions on constituency project guidelines into all OAGF engagements with stakeholders and to grant the Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs the platform to make presentations during such events.
He added that upcoming circulars from the OAGF on project closures and capital expenditures would emphasize compliance with these guidelines.
Mr. Ogunjimi advised the Ministry to sustain its engagement with relevant government agencies, stakeholders, and the National Assembly to increase awareness and promote adherence to the circulars.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Onwusoro Ihemelandu, urged that no payments should be made for constituency projects that are not executed in accordance with federal guidelines and that have not been certified by his Ministry.
He expressed concern that despite the existence of official guidelines and circulars, many government agencies continue to implement and fund constituency projects without proper adherence or verification.
“This practice undermines the government’s ability to derive full value from the funds expended on such projects,” Ihemelandu noted.
He appealed for stronger collaboration between his Ministry and the OAGF to ensure full implementation of the guidelines and to prevent unauthorized payments for unverified projects.
