The Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) says it can only perform advisory role to the government on budget implementation for now.

Its president, Hajiya Maryam Ibrahim, said this while featuring at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja yesterday.

She said that Nigeria’s budget had always come in irregular manner hence the difficulty in its implementation.

Ibrahim told NAN that professional accounting bodies should have the capacity to monitor budget implementation at all levels of government.

“Budget is the Bible or Quran of any government because it’s what you decide to do for the people.

“Unfortunately, budgeting in the country has not been a bottom-top approach; it has always been up-down approach.

“And possibly that is why we have not gotten it right in knowing what the people really want.

“ But having said that, we are not in government, we wait for government to present its budget and we try to analyse and give our own advice to the government.

“During our training, we advise our members to assist in advising their various ministries, departments and agencies in the performances of their budgets, especially if they are given that responsibility.

“We should be able to call the executive at federal, at states level and the local government level to account for the fund that is being given to them and to ensure having looked at what they have done with the money, whether they have used it effectively, efficiently and economically.’’

She commended the Auditor-General of the Federation for introducing the Performance Audit and Environmental Auditing into the system, adding that it should be replicated at all tiers of governance.

Ibrahim said the National Assembly was also trying in terms of oversight functions and called on civil society groups to join in the quest for financial discipline in the system.

“A lot will be achieved in terms of value for money in the National Assembly partners with the Auditor-General in checking the government.’’

She said it was time Nigeria became prudent in the management of her excess crude savings to avoid problems.

The ANAN boss said it was through such savings that the government could handle emergencies and infrastructural maintenance.

She appealed to the government to appoint a body to monitor the excess crude savings for the sake of transparency.

“A body should monitor and we should be involved, an independent body should be the one giving the report to the public.