Reps threaten arrest warrants against Federal Polytechnic officials over audit queries

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has threatened to issue arrest warrants against the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, and the institution's Bursar, due to unresolved audit queries and allegations of financial irregularities. The committee insists that the officials appear on October 19, 2026, to address questions regarding procurement issues, expenditure discrepancies, and financial management concerns.

The committee's Chairman, Bamidele Salam, disclosed this on Friday while announcing the adoption of a technical committee's report on submissions from six tertiary institutions. The committee expressed frustration over the Rector and Bursar's repeated failure to respond to invitations, warning that their absence could lead to the invocation of House of Representatives powers to enforce their attendance.

The officials are expected to submit financial and procurement records, as well as provide explanations for outstanding audit queries and alleged financial irregularities. The polytechnic has three outstanding audit queries, including an unretired cash advance, unauthorized legal services, and foreign trips without proper approval.

The institution's audited accounts for 2022, 2023, and 2024 showed significant discrepancies in overhead budget expenditure and personnel expenditure. The committee also criticized the polytechnic for failing to provide mandatory remittances to the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund and procurement documents for capital expenditure and TETFund projects.

The committee accused the institution of failing to credit ₦20.5 million to employees' Retirement Savings Accounts, attributing the delay to the lack of accurate employee information. The committee committed to ensuring transparency, accountability, and compliance with financial regulations in public institutions and warned of invoking the House's powers to compel the attendance of the Rector, Bursar, and other officials if they do not appear on October 19, 2026.