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FRC Remits Over N2trn In 14 Years
The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) said it has generated over N2trillion since inception in 2007.
The money, according to him, has been remitted into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (FRC).
The Chairman of the commission, Victor Muruako made the revelation, yesterday, when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance for the public hearing of the bill that repeal and re-enact the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
The legislation, sponsored by Adamawa senator, Aisha Dahiru, seeks to curb financial fraud and wastages within Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure more effective and efficient delivery of public services.
The bill, according to Dahiru, will provide a better legal framework to back the operations of the commission, which she said has been limited.
“If passed, will expand the functions and powers of the FRC; ensure adequate funding/increased budgetary allocations to the commission; ensure the remittance of operating surplus by MDAs; ensure enforcement of penalties and establish the Fiscal Responsibility Council,” she said.
Part of the bill also proposes that the commission retains a portion of the operating surpluses paid into the CRF of the Federal Government as cost of collection.
The amendment also seeks to limit the expenditure of all other MDAs (not listed in the schedule) to not more than 75 per cent of their gross revenue.
In his presentation, Chairman of the commission, Victor Muruako stressed the need for the commission to be strengthened in all ramifications and its responsibilities, powers and functions properly streamlined.
He also said the move to repeal the Act will ultimately improve the commission’s funding and capacity to increase the generation of independent revenue into the CRF of the Federal Government as well as end the current state of impunity with which statutory obligations imposed by the Act which are routinely ignored by many MDAs & GOEs.
“The generation of independent revenue through the remittance of operating surplus is one aspect of the mandate of the commission that has added great value to governance.
“It is noteworthy that the commission has since inception caused over N2trillion to be remitted to the CRF in spite of the lapses in the present Act. It is expected that the amendment bill will cause even more revenue to be remitted into the Federal Government coffers by the present 122 Schedule corporations (increased from 30 and still counting) as well as align the same with scant legislation like the finance act 2020,” he said.
The legislation, he said, has made elaborate provisions for offenses and penalties for the infringement of the provision of the Act which include penal and financial sanctions.
“The need for a special and sustainable funding arrangement to enable it deliver on its mandate is starkly evident.
“The proposal in the bill for the retention by the commission of a portion of the operating surpluses paid into the CRF of the Federal Government as cost of collection, if passed will go a long way in securing and enhancing the crucial financial autonomy necessary for the commission to meet the expectation of the nation.”
On his part, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (NEITI), Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, described the bill as timely and vital to the economic well-being of Nigeria and Nigerians.
He said the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which is one of the most important interventions in the history of Nigeria’s public finance reforms, shares the same objectives with NEITI – which is a transparent, accountable and prudent management of Nigeria’s resources.
“There’s no doubt whatsoever that attaining a culture of accountability in the larger economy will make it easier to achieve accountability in the extractive industry which generates the bulk of Nigeria’s economic resources.”
He also urged the panel to ensure and enhance return on government’s investment in its public corporations as well as a strengthened enforcement of its powers.
Consideration of the committee’s report from the hearing and final passage of the bill is expected to be done on another legislative day.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.