ReportsNG
Nestled within the sun-drenched plains of Gombe State in north-eastern Nigeria, where the Federal College of Education stands as a crucial centre for teacher education, human capital development, and the cultivation of professional educators, official documents obtained by ReportsNG reveal a tally of financial irregularities totalling ₦208,183,537.78 across five quantified findings for the 2023 financial year.
The largest individual finding involves payments totalling ₦75,544,042.47 that were executed without undergoing the mandatory prepayment verification process. This practice violates Paragraph 1705 of the Financial Regulations 2009, which mandates strict compliance with pre-payment verification guidelines. Additionally, this transaction contravenes Paragraph 3106 of the Financial Regulations 2009 regarding irregular or wrong payments, as well as Paragraph 3129 covering gross misconduct.
Similarly, an amount of ₦72,523,896.52 in value-added tax and withholding tax was never deducted from payments disbursed to contractors. This omission directly breaches Paragraph 234(i) of the Financial Regulations 2009, which mandatorily requires the deduction of taxes at the point of payment. Moreso, the failure to execute these tax deductions falls under the scope of Paragraph 3106 for irregular payments and Paragraph 3129 for gross misconduct.
Additionally, disbursement records show that payments amounting to ₦53,461,350.00 were made without any relevant supporting documentation attached to the transaction files. This lack of supporting documentation breaches Paragraph 3106 of the Financial Regulations 2009 regarding irregular or wrong payments, alongside Paragraph 3129 concerning gross misconduct.
Furthermore, cash advances granted to staff totaling ₦3,735,000.00 were never retired upon completion of the intended assignments. The failure to retire these advances contravenes Paragraph 3106 of the Financial Regulations 2009 on irregular payments and Paragraph 3129 of the same regulations on gross misconduct.
However, financial non-compliance was also recorded in contractor tax withholdings, where ₦2,919,248.79 in withholding tax was under-deducted from a separate contractor payment. This short deduction violates Paragraph 3106 of the Financial Regulations 2009 regarding wrong or irregular payments and Paragraph 3129 regarding gross misconduct.
Separately, the institution failed to submit its financial statements for the 2022 financial year. This non-submission constitutes a direct violation of Paragraph 3106 and Paragraph 3129 of the Financial Regulations 2009, which cover irregular administrative compliance and gross misconduct.
To address these findings, the official recommendations direct the Provost of the institution to account for each sum to the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly, recover and remit all affected amounts to the Treasury, and submit the outstanding financial statements for the 2022 financial year.
