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Minister Challenges Accountants On Wastages, Leakages In Govt’s Revenue

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The Coordinating Minister
for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has challenged accountants to address leakages in government revenue and wastages in expenditure pattern.
Okonjo-Iweala, represented by her Permanent Secretary, Mrs Nwobia Daniel, gave the charge at the opening of a two-day retreat in Kaduna.
The retreat was for Directors of Finance and Accounts and Heads of Internal Audit in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The minister said the retreat was to remind them on the importance of their roles in the government’s transformation agenda.
“The Federal Government therefore, expects that the retreat will discuss issues that will tackle the challenges of leakages in government revenue and wastages in expenditure patterns in MDAs.
According to her, the participants are also expected to come up with strategies to ensure prudence in management of limited financial resources available for government’s use.
“At the end of the retreat, deliberate policies aimed at minimising corruption and strengthening the economy through efficient treasury management should be suggested to fine-tune the transformation agenda, “she urged.
She noted that the theme, “Transforming of Treasury Management in Nigeria,” was apt and timely, as it would address the increasing responsibilities and dwindling revenue of the government.
Okonjo-Iweala said the challenges confronting successful implementation of the Public Financial Management (PFM) includes: corruption, high cost of governance and inadequate legislation.
Others are non-compliance with due process mechanism, inadequate ownership of the reforms by public servants, poor motivation and emerging public performance reporting system.
She emphasised that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) was central and strategic to the PFM reform.
The reforms cover “Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Treasury Single Account (TSA), Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS).
“Development of National Chart of Accounts (COA), Modernisation of the Internal Audit Functions, Upgrading of Federal Treasury Academy and Adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAs),” she said.
The minister said the reforms were meant to ensure efficient public expenditure management, curb corruption, improve government revenue, enhance transparency and accountability.
She, therefore, advised the office of the Accountant-General to seek effective inter agency interaction to bring all government revenue and expenditure under its safety net.
“An independent revenue collection averaging 50-55 per cent of budgeted figures is no longer acceptable.”
She also tasked the participants to brainstorm and recommend strategies that would enhance revenue collection, as well as assist government take right decisions for effective transformation of the treasury system.
On his part, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Jonah Otunla said 36 MDAs out of the 394 had been trained on Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
He said that the remaining 358 would be trained in batches.
On the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), Otunla said that sensitisation and training were ongoing in the MDAs on the new format of reporting financial transactions of government.
He said the IPSAs cash basis would commence from 2014 financial year, while the accrual basis would come into operation by 2016.
He charged the participants to make recommendations on issues bodering on treasury management such as improving revenue base of government and addressing gap among treasury accountants.
Otunla also challenged them to suggest institutional restructuring of the nation’s treasury for improved performance, ways to address challenges of cash planning and expenditure discipline and forum for efficient public financial management.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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