Payment of ₦19 billion to four MDAs by the Budget Office

The Nigerian Senate, through its Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) chaired by Senator Matthew Urhoghide, launched an investigation into the Budget Office of the Federation and its Director-General, Ben Akabueze, over the alleged illegal payment of ₦19 billion to four unnamed Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in 2015 without the approval of the Minister of Finance. The probe, initiated in October 2021, was triggered by the 2016 Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF) report, which revealed that the funds were disbursed from the Service Wide Vote based on purported verbal directives from Akabueze, violating Financial Regulations 301 and 302 requiring written authorization from the Finance Minister for such expenditures.