Reps summon FCT Area Council officials over ₦100bn financial violations.
The House of Representatives has summoned the chairmen and finance directors of the six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over alleged financial infractions exceeding ₦100 billion, following revelations contained in the Auditor-General’s audit report submitted to the House Committee on Public Accounts.
The report indicted Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali Area Councils for widespread violations of financial regulations, including unremitted statutory deductions, weak asset management and expenditures that were poorly documented or not accounted for.
According to the audit report for the year ended December 31, 2021, the six Area Councils recorded outstanding liabilities totalling ₦7.65 billion. These include unpaid pension deductions, Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE), Value Added Tax (VAT), withholding taxes, outstanding capital project obligations and other statutory remittances owed to the Nigeria Revenue Service, FCT Inland Revenue Service, Pension Fund Administrators and contractors.
A breakdown shows that Abuja Municipal Area Council recorded the highest outstanding liability of ₦2.19 billion, followed by Bwari Area Council with ₦1.49 billion and Kwali Area Council with ₦1.46 billion. Gwagwalada Area Council recorded ₦1.01 billion, Kuje Area Council ₦892.2 million, while Abaji Area Council had ₦593.8 million.
The Auditor-General also faulted the councils for failing to properly maintain Fixed Asset Registers. In Gwagwalada Area Council alone, non-current assets valued at ₦336 million were not adequately recorded or updated, a situation the report warned could lead to asset losses without trace. Similar lapses were observed across the other Area Councils.
Further findings revealed that the six Area Councils spent a combined total of ₦24.87 billion in 2021 on personnel costs, overheads and capital projects, representing an 89 per cent increase of ₦11.7 billion compared to 2020 expenditure. However, the utilisation of 37 per cent of funds reportedly allocated to capital projects was queried, as the councils failed to provide satisfactory explanations for how the funds were spent.
Expenditure figures showed that AMAC spent ₦5.03 billion, Gwagwalada Area Council ₦4.66 billion, Kuje Area Council ₦3.85 billion, Kwali Area Council ₦3.84 billion, Bwari Area Council ₦3.74 billion and Abaji Area Council ₦3.71 billion.
Audit findings for 2022 and part of 2023 also revealed multiple infractions, including understatement of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), unauthorised disposal of assets, non-disclosure of statutory revenues and failure to remit withholding taxes to appropriate authorities.
Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Rep. Bamidele Salam, confirmed that the Committee had formally received the Auditor-General’s report and summoned the affected council chairmen and their finance directors to respond to the audit queries.
He disclosed that three separate letters had been issued to the officials, directing them to appear before the Committee. Salam warned that the invitation, scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, 2026, was final, stressing that failure to honour it would compel the House to invoke its constitutional powers, including ordering their arrest.
The lawmaker also disclosed that the Area Councils failed to audit and submit their financial statements for 2023, 2024 and 2025, contrary to statutory requirements, adding that any official found culpable of financial misconduct would be held accountable in accordance with the law.
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