Business
SURE-P Boss Advises Nigerians On Transparency, Accountability
The Chairman, Subsidy
Re-Investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Gen. Martin-Luther Agwai, has appealed in Abuja to Nigerians to make transparency and accountability their watch word in the conduct of their businesses.
Agwai made the call in Abuja during a one-day anti-corruption sensitisation and interactive programme organised for the secretariat staff of SURE-P.
The theme of the programme: “Accountability and Ethics in the Work Place’’, was organized by SURE-P in conjunction with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.(EFCC).
Agwai said the issues of transparency and accountability were the underlying factors in the operations of SURE-P.
He said that SURE-P had ensured that laws that bordered on transparency were being applied in the conduct of its businesses.
“What is important about SURE-P is the issue of transparency and integrity since we are working as a public organisation under the public regulation and rules in Nigeria.
“Some of the rules of EFCC, ICPC and the Procurement Act and others are some of the regulations that govern what we do,’’ he said.
He said that the interaction would afford the SURE-P staff the opportunity of consolidating their knowledge in the conduct of their daily job responsibilities.
He said that SURE-P had ensured transparency in the conduct of its operations through adhering strictly to due process mechanism in the execution of it’s mandate.
“Since our job has a lot to do with issue of money, issue of public fund to be utilised, we don’t decide how much goes into a project; we don’t decide where the programme is to be allocated or situated.
“But we superintend on the actual payment after verification and inspection to be sure that all that have been said is done.
“We work through the MDAs with the programme implementation unit (PIU) in the MDAs and they supervise contracts that have been signed by any organisation with the MDA or the contractor and not us.
“The PIU work as a link between us and the MDA, once the PIU is satisfied with the project the MDA has executed.
They will tell us and then we go to inspect and verify that what is stated by the PIU has actually been done.
“ If we are satisfied, we then, through our accounting officer who is the DG of the budget of the federation, forward the approval to the Central Bank of Nigeria and the CBN pays directly to the beneficiary. So that is the way we work,’’ he said.
The chairman said the sensitisation would further avail the SURE-P staff to deepen and understand issues of transparency and honesty in all ramification.
The Executive Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, represented by the Director, Public Affairs, Mr Osita Nwaja, said that the programme was designed for public and private sector workers in line with the mandate of the EFCC.
He said the essence was to take anti-graft campaign to the work place, and encourage workers to involve in fighting crime as EFCC alone could not fight and win the war against corruption in Nigeria.
Lamorde said that SURE-P had impacted positively on the improvement of individual lives in the country.
He said SURE-P was contributing to the stimulation of the economy and poverty reduction.
“Poverty is being alienated; critical infrastructure are being resuscitated and overhauled ,’’ Lamorde said.
He said that the enlightenment and sensitisation programme was targeted at advancing the strategic partnership of both organisations from the point of preventive mandate of the EFCC.
He called for the establishment of the SURE-P Integrity section.
Highlights of the interactive session were the presentation of papers by resource persons from EFCC and the decoration of SURE-P chairman as “Ambassador of Anti-Corruption”.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.
