Audit Raises Alarm Over ₦208.18m Financial Irregularities at Federal College of Education, Gombe
.....Official documents reportedly identify payments made without mandatory verification and failure to deduct taxes, raising questions over financial compliance in the institution’s 2023 accounts.
Official documents obtained by SecretsReporters have reportedly revealed financial irregularities totalling ₦208,183,537.78 across five quantified audit findings at the Federal College of Education, Gombe State, for the 2023 financial year.
The findings raise concerns over compliance with Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009, particularly in the processing of payments, enforcement of tax obligations and accountability in the management of public funds at the teacher-training institution.
The Federal College of Education, Gombe, is a key institution for teacher education and human capital development in north-eastern Nigeria.
According to the documents, the largest individual finding involved payments totalling ₦75,544,042.47 that were allegedly made without undergoing the mandatory pre-payment verification process.
The audit finding reportedly cited Paragraph 1705 of the Financial Regulations 2009, which requires compliance with pre-payment verification procedures before public funds are disbursed.
The transactions were also reportedly flagged under Paragraph 3106, which addresses irregular or wrong payments, and Paragraph 3129, which covers gross misconduct.
The alleged failure to conduct the required verification raises questions about the internal controls and oversight mechanisms governing the institution’s expenditure during the period under review.
₦72.52m in Taxes Allegedly Not Deducted
Another significant finding concerns ₦72,523,896.52 in value-added tax (VAT) and withholding tax that were reportedly not deducted from payments made to contractors.
The documents reportedly identified the omission as a breach of Paragraph 234(i) of the Financial Regulations 2009, which requires applicable taxes to be deducted at the point of payment.
The failure to make the deductions was also reportedly linked to Paragraph 3106 on irregular payments and Paragraph 3129 on gross misconduct.
The alleged tax-related irregularity raises questions about the institution’s compliance with statutory tax obligations and the adequacy of its financial management procedures.
Questions Over Financial Accountability
The two highlighted findings account for ₦148,067,938.99 of the reported ₦208,183,537.78 in quantified irregularities.
The remaining ₦60,115,598.79 relates to three other findings whose details were not contained in the information available for this report.
The reported findings underscore the importance of transparent financial administration, effective internal controls and strict adherence to public-sector financial regulations in institutions funded with public resources.
However, the audit findings alone do not establish that any individual deliberately misappropriated public funds or committed a criminal offence. Further clarification would be required to establish whether the flagged transactions were subsequently regularised, recovered or subjected to disciplinary action.
Institution Yet to Respond
The Federal College of Education, Gombe, is expected to clarify the circumstances surrounding the reported findings, including the steps taken to address the alleged payment irregularities and tax deductions.
Questions also remain over whether the institution’s management has implemented corrective measures to prevent a recurrence and whether any officials were held accountable.
The Analyst Online Media will seek the institution’s response and any further clarification from the relevant authorities as part of its commitment to public-interest journalism and accountability in the management of public funds.
The reported findings relate to the 2023 financial year and should not be interpreted as evidence of current financial misconduct without further verification.