Senate queries law school over payment of N36m dressing allowance into staff account

The Senate Thursday slammed the management of the Nigeria Law School over the payment of N36 million dressing allowance for 52 workers into the account of a single  staff.
Chairman of the Upper Legislative Chamber’s committee on Public Accounts, Senator Matthew Urhoghide ( PDP Edo South), told the management of the school led by its Director-General, Prof Isa Chiroma, that the committee was in possession of the 2015 audit report from the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, identifying loopholes in the financial records of the institution.
The report, he said, uncovered financial  misapplications, spending without approval and diversion of pension fund in the school.


Senator Urhoghide quoted the audit report which read in part that: “The examination of payment records revealed that the Nigerian Law School several times paid N36 million to staff as dressing allowance in 2013 alone.
“The management could not substantiate these payment with any approval from Salaries and Wages Commission to enable the audit team determine the genuineness of these payment to staff. No appropriation in this request.


“It was observed that there were difference between the amount recorded in some payment vouchers amounting to N9 million. The value of payment vouchers should be appropriately separately reflected in the cash book.”
One of the queries raised wondered why N34.3 million was paid for training of staff without approval from federal government during the period under review.


Furthermore, the auditor general’s report also indicted the law school for paying  N32 milion to an unnamed cleaner over a period of 12 months as against Nigeria extant laws.
Responding to the queries, the Law school Director General while claiming that he was not in charge at the Law School when the transactions took place, however admitted that government is a continuum.


On payment of N36 million as dressing allowance to one staff, the Director-General wondered, “I can’t imagine the law school paying N36 million into one account on behalf of others.”

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