The Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) has urged the House of Representatives and the federal government to take necessary actions against financial breaches uncovered in audit and probe reports rather than just organising annual conferences on the issues.
This call followed the National Conference on Public Accounts and Fiscal Governance (NCPAFG) organised by the House Committee on Public Accounts (PAC), which was held from 6 to 11 July.
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The PAC is a committee created by the Nigerian constitution and the House’s Standing Orders. It is empowered to examine federal government accounts showing the appropriation of the sums granted to meet public expenditure and the Auditor General’s report.
While CeFTPI, in a press statement signed by its executive director Umar Yakubu on Wednesday, commended the avenue the conference provided for dialogue, it implored government actors to ensure that it was not an “annual ritual that masks the deep-seated inefficiencies and systemic failures in Nigeria’s public financial management system.”
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“Among the several probes instituted and recorded in the Center’s Legislative Probes Monitor are those of the PAC. The PAC has instituted numerous probes into financial misconduct within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“Similarly, successive audit reports from the Auditor-General of the Federation have exposed widespread violations of financial regulations, including unauthorised expenditures, unremitted revenues, procurement breaches, and contract inflation,” the centre said.
It added that despite the glaring revelations, “there remains a consistent failure to take corrective action.”
“Probe reports gather dust, and audit findings are rarely followed by prosecution or restitution,” the centre said.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that a former clerk of the House of Representatives disclosed that no reports of PAC have ever been acted on for a staggering 25 years.
Mr Yakubu maintained that Nigerians deserved results because they bear “the brunt of fiscal mismanagement.”
The House’s PAC had said the conference brought together stakeholders for capacity building, knowledge exchange, and to promote transparency and explore digital governance.
However, CeFTPI challenged the committee to go beyond mere talks and policy proposals and proffer tangible reforms.
It noted that the “pattern of inaction continues to fuel a culture of impunity and erodes public trust in governance.”
“It is therefore not enough for government officials to converge and speak glowingly about fiscal reforms when there is little evidence that these efforts have translated into better governance or improved quality of life for ordinary Nigerians.
“Public sector corruption continues to thrive, infrastructure remains broken, and service delivery is grossly inadequate. The citizens, who bear the brunt of fiscal mismanagement, deserve more than conferences and declarations; they deserve results,” Mr Yakubu, the centre’s executive director, wrote.
Beyond talks, what needs to be done
The centre, therefore demanded accountability and an implementation of all past and present probes, moreso, for the prosecution of guilty officials through a fair and transparent process.
“The Centre reiterates the need for urgent and tangible reforms that go beyond policy proposals,” it said. “The government should demonstrate political will by ensuring the implementation of past and present probe reports. Officials found culpable in the misuse of public funds must be held accountable, and such processes must be transparent, fair, and timely.”
It said accountability should not be a selective exercise; “it must be the foundation of fiscal governance.”
The group also pushed for the adoption of technology in procurement to curtail manipulation and fraud. It said that this process would enhance transparency.
It also recommended the public disclosure of expenditures while expressing concern about the poor performance and lack of commitment of public institutions to transparency measures.
“Access to information must be prioritised, with government institutions proactively disclosing spending and audit data in line with the philosophy of the Center’s Transparency and Integrity Index (TII).”
However, in 2024, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, disclosed the plans by the House to amend its Standing Orders to accommodate the electronic submission of petitions during the commissioning of the newly digitised hearing room of the PAC and the unveiling of PAC News.
It also called for the institution of participatory budgeting particularly at the state and local government levels which the group described as the weakest in ensuring “accountability.”
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