The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday approved the appointment of SHAAKAA CHIRA from Taraba State as the new Auditor-General of the Federation.
President BOLA TINUBU had nominated CHIRA for the position, relying on Section 86 of the 1999 Constitution (Amended).
The Federal Civil Service Commission FCSC, recommended CHIRA for the appointment following a rigorous screening exercise, where he was identified as the most qualified candidate and scored the highest in the examination among all the qualified candidates.
His approval came shortly after he was screened by the Upper Chamber on Wednesday.
During his screening and confirmation in the Senate, CHIRA expressed his concern over the lack of funding for the office, which has made it challenging to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.
He said the office had only been allocated N62 million in the last budget, which has hindered the performance of even the most basic tasks.
Responding , Senate President GODSWILL AKPABIO called for an increase in funding for the office to ensure it can carry out its mandate of ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of public funds and fighting corruption.
However, Deputy Senate President JIBRIN BARAAU said the funding problem came from the Executive arm of the government, and any intervention toward solving it should come from there.
CHIRA’S appointment comes a year after the retirement of ADOLPHUS AGHUGHU.