After 300% Increase In Imprest Claims, FG Commences Scrutiny Of MDAs

The Ministries, Departments, and Agencies)MDAs in Nigeria are presently under scrutiny of the Federal Government over the rising use of imprest and cash advances, reports Business Today NG
MDAs (Ministries, Departments, and Agencies) are the bodies that carry out the functions of the government at various levels. They are responsible for different duties and are crucial for the implementation of government policies and programs.
Imprest refers to a fixed amount of money issued to public officers to cover routine operational expenses, usually reimbursed quarterly, while cash advance denotes funds granted for specific administrative purposes or special projects, both of which must be retired with proper documentation in line with financial regulations.
FG commenced the scrutiny of the MDAs after fresh data revealed that over N2.27bn was disbursed under these two expenditure categories in 2024 alone. This figure is a more than 308 per cent increase from the N556.3m recorded in 2023.
The spending data released GovSpend, a public finance monitoring platform operated by BudgIT, reveals that N1.19bn was released for imprest and another N1.08bn for cash advances in 2024. This likely prompted new financial directives from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation over the weekend.