Reps reject forensic audit bill, passes six others, to probe fish importation licenses

The House of Representatives yesterday rejected the Bill for an Act to Establish the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Auditors of Nigeria (CIFIAN).

If passed into law, the institute would handle for effective regulation, registration of members and determination of what knowledge and skills practitioners would require to qualify as forensic and investigative auditors.

The Bill, which passed first reading, was rejected over CIFIAN’s conflicting role with similar professional bodies like the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN).

However, the House passed six bills to establish the Nigeria Postal Commission, Council for Regulation of Travel and Tours Management Companies of Nigeria, Nigerian Law Reform Commission; Chartered Institute of Auctioneers, Federal Polytechnic Fagge in Kano and National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration.

The House also resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate all licenses granted for fish importation within the last one year with a view to reducing the negative impact on local fish production.

Members requested the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) to provide incentives to local fish farmers to boost production, conclude investigation within two weeks and report to the House for further legislative action.

It made the resolution yesterday at plenary following a motion of urgent national importance by Jonathan Gaza (PDP, Nasarawa) on the need to investigate the recent issuance of licenses for fish importation in Nigeria.