Ondo SUBEB Flouts Directives, Audit Queries for Half a Decade, Says Auditor-General

The Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) stands accused of consistently disregarding audit queries and legislative directives from the Ondo State House of Assembly for a period spanning five years. This revelation comes from the 2025 Report of the State Auditor-General, sparking renewed apprehension regarding accountability and transparent management of public finances within the state.

According to the Auditor-General's findings, numerous outstanding matters, originating as far back as 2021, have not been addressed. This persistent inaction has occurred despite multiple follow-ups from the State Auditor-General's Office and clear resolutions passed by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Assembly. The report specifically highlighted these lingering concerns under a section titled "Outstanding Matters From Year 2021 To 2024 Auditor-General's Report Not Attended To," noting that "some issues were raised in the Auditor-General's report for year 2021 in paragraph 1.0 to 4.0."

The report further detailed that the Public Accounts Committee of the Ondo State House of Assembly, during its review of the Auditor-General's reports for 2019 and 2020 conducted from July 5 to July 12, 2022, had expressly instructed the Board to rectify all identified discrepancies. The report explicitly stated: "the Public Accounts Committee of the Ondo State House of Assembly, having considered the Auditor-General's reports for years 2019-2020 between 5th and 12th July, 2022, mandated the Board to attend to the issues raised by the Auditor-General."

The Auditor-General pointed out that in addition to earlier communications, formal reminder letters, GMD/SUBEB/CP/SA/VOL.IV/269 (dated December 9, 2022) and GMD/SUBEB/CP/SA/VOL.IV/270 (issued April 2023), were dispatched to the Board to enforce the committee's resolutions. However, the report indicated that "no response had been received by this Office on the issues as at the time of this report," despite these clear directives and subsequent reminders.

The Public Accounts Committee once again took up the Auditor-General's reports for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023 in March 2026, where fresh directives were issued to SUBEB. The report detailed that "the House Committee mandated the Board to invite the State Auditor-General's Office to carry out its statutory inspections on outstanding projects." Nevertheless, the Auditor-General confirmed that the Board failed to adhere to this mandate, observing that "up till now, no arrangement had been made by the Board for the conduct of the physical verification."

Furthermore, the audit report leveled accusations against the Board for its inability to furnish auditors with requested contract records. It was revealed that "some contracts and supplies were awarded by the Board on UBEC/SUBEC 2020 and 2021 Capital Projects." These critical contract documents were officially requested via a letter with reference number GMD/SUBEB/CP/SA/VOL.IV/270 on April 12, 2023. Despite this formal request, the Auditor-General confirmed that "up till now, there has not been any response from the Board."

Nearly two years later, on April 29, 2025, yet another reminder, referenced GMD/SUBEB/CP/SA/VOL.IV/273, was dispatched to the Board. This letter reiterated "the need to attend to the issues contained in the report of the State Auditor-General as it affects the Board." Nonetheless, the report concluded that "up till now, no response has been received from the Board," even after this latest reminder.

These cumulative findings paint a picture of sustained non-compliance by the Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board. It highlights their consistent failure to address audit observations, provide necessary contract documentation, or adhere to legislative mandates for the statutory inspection of projects, despite persistent efforts and interventions from both the Auditor-General's Office and the Public Accounts Committee of the Ondo State House of Assembly.

This ongoing lack of transparency echoes previous concerns. SaharaReporters had earlier reported that despite the Ondo State Government's assertion of disbursing approximately N14.7 billion to SUBEB for basic education between 2024 and 2025, residents of Arimogija in Ose Local Government Area observed that New Church Primary School remained in a deplorable state. This raised significant questions about the tangible impact of allocated public funds on educational infrastructure.