It had never happened in the 42-year history of Nigeria as a nation. But when it did, it caught Nigerians numb. The audit report of federal ministries and parastatals was made public for the first time ever by Vincent Azie, the acting auditor-general of the Federation. The audit report, which should be a plus for President Olusegun Obasanjo's commitment to transparency and accountability, revealed that more than N23 billion was lost in 10 major ministries in just one year - 2001.