Nigeria’s House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has summoned the chairmen and finance directors of the six Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils over alleged financial irregularities totalling more than N100 billion.
The move follows the submission of an audit report by the Auditor-General for the FCT Area Councils, which highlighted widespread breaches of financial regulations in Abaji, Abuja Municipal (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali councils.
The report, covering the year ending 31 December 2021, identified unremitted tax and Value Added Tax (VAT) deductions, failure to maintain and update Fixed Asset Registers, and expenditures that were not properly accounted for.
Outstanding liabilities across the six councils were recorded at N7.65 billion, including unremitted pension contributions, Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) taxes, unpaid capital project obligations, and withholding taxes owed to various authorities and contractors.
A breakdown of the unremitted liabilities showed AMAC at N2.19 billion, Bwari N1.49 billion, Kwali N1.46 billion, Gwagwalada N1.01 billion, Kuje N892.2 million, and Abaji N593.8 million.
The audit also criticised poor asset management. In Gwagwalada alone, non-current assets valued at N336 million were reportedly undocumented, with similar lapses noted across the other councils. Furthermore, the councils reportedly spent N24.87 billion in 2021 on personnel, overheads, and capital projects, with 37% of capital project funds inadequately accounted for.
Audit reviews for 2022 and part of 2023 revealed additional infractions, including understatement of internally generated revenue, unauthorised disposal of assets, non-disclosure of statutory revenue, and failure to remit withholding taxes.
Reacting to the report, PAC Chairman Rep. Bamidele Salam confirmed that the committee had formally received the audit findings.
He said letters had been issued summoning the six council chairmen and their finance directors to appear before the committee on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, warning that failure to comply could lead to the use of constitutional powers, including arrest.
Salam also noted that the councils had failed to audit and submit accounts for 2023, 2024, and 2025, a breach of statutory obligations. He stressed that public funds must be managed transparently and prudently, and any official found culpable would be held accountable under the law.
