Championing Call for Transparency, Prudence of Public Funds

The Nigerian Army Finance Corps recently held a training week for Warrant Officer/Senior Non-Commissioned Officers targeted at improving professional and innovative financial services for the army in line with extant regulations. Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that it was a call for greater demand for openness, prudence and accountability in the use of public funds

One of the many issues that have dogged the military over the years has been lack of openess and accountability, especially when it comes to financial matters and funding of theatres of operations.

Thus, the recent training for Warrant Officers (WOs)/Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (Snacks) organised by the Nigerian Army Finance Corps (NAFC) held at Nebo hall, Abati barracks, Ojuelegba Lagos, was targeted at emphasising the need for openness, prudence and accountability in the use of public funds.

The training also harped on providing professional and innovative financial services in line with financial and other extant regulations, just as it was aimed at improving their skills and competences. This year, the annual ritual, specifically highlighted the need to enhance transparency and accountability in the management of resources at the army’s disposal.

Improving Capabilities

Declaring the training open, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, said it was specifically designed to improve the capabilities and competencies of the WOs/SNCOs to enable them function optimally as vital link between officers and soldiers.

Yahaya who was represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Major General Lawrence Fejokwu, said the army must continue to develop requisite skills and competences that would make it ready to achieve its constitutional duties.

He said: “In view of the contemporary security challenges in Nigeria, the NA must remain steadfast, focused, disciplined and professional in dealing with these challenges, especially in a joint environment. Thus, the development and deployment of critical capabilities that will contribute significantly to the defence and security of our nation becomes imperative.

“The NA must of necessity be creative and improve its problem solving skills to be able to defeat all forms of adversaries, particularly non-state actors. To achieve this, the prudent utilisation of financial and indeed all resources cannot be overemphasised, especially in the face of dwindling resources.

“In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the theme of this conference has been aptly crafted as Repositioning NAFC WOs/SNCOS for professional and innovative financial services delivery in the NA.

“As financial advisers and custodians of NA financial resources at unit levels, you are expected to provide professional and innovative financial services in line with financial and other extant regulations. I am therefore delighted that this training week is taking place at a time when there is a greater demand for openness, prudence and accountability in the use of public funds.

“The prudent and efficient use of resources also becomes compelling given the anti-corruption drive of the Federal Government of Nigeria as well as dwindling national revenue due to the adverse effects of global COVID-19 pandemic.”

Ongoing Reforms

Commending the NAFC for effective delivery of quality professional advisory services, he noted that there has been positive reforms towards the prompt payment of troops’ operation allowances and other related allowances in the army.

Assuring troops in different theatres of operations across the country of his resolve to sustain prompt payment of their allowances, as a boost for optimal discharge of their constitutional responsibility, he also charged them to be focused, disciplined and professional as they tackle insecurity.

“I am also aware of the ongoing reforms towards improving accountability, transparent, quality audit and assurance services. All these innovations and reforms have added value to the NA and contributes significantly to enhancing and sustaining troops morale as well as compliance with government extant regulations,” he added.

Professional Services

In his remarks, Army’s Chief of Account and Budget, Major General Adekunle Adesope said the trainees were expected to professionally and administratively discharge financial services in support of all Nigerian Army’s constitutional dealings.

He explained that the training week was designed to strengthen and improve the performance of Warrant officers and senior non commissioned officers in executing their core functions as the vital link between officers, soldiers and junior leadership in the Nigerian Army.

He said: “This is one of the training programmes lined up in the activities of the Nigerian Army Finance Corps to train our Warrant Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs). Finance Corps operates in a very dynamic environment with new policies and innovations in financial management.”

The fundamental objective of this particular training according to him, aligned a with the imperative of the Finance Corps mantra “which is to professionally and relatively discharge financial services in support of all Nigerian Army constitutional duties”.

He added that “this has become expedient considering the dynamics of the contemporary environment that places a premium on requisite expertise in meaningful decision making and complex strategic thinking in prioritising need due to acutely scarce resources.

“Expectedly, the warrant officers and senior non commissioned officers training is coming against the backdrop of a mirage of security challenges besetting our nation.

“So, from time to time, we update the knowledge of our men. Most importantly, we need to be more open in managing the scarce resources allocated to the Nigerian Army. We need to be more open in justifying whatever is appropriated to us.

” The payment of our men in various theatres of operations have always gone on well. What the COAS said is that he would sustain it for as long as we receive what is required from the government, we, on our part, will do the needful.

” It is believed that the training will provide the prerequisite for improving skills and professional capability of participants in the very changing financial sector which is highly regulated and guided by government policy and internationally accepted best practices.

“Your roles are quite distinct and very important, being the link between the soldiers and junior leadership in the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army towards the attainment of our premium objective for this year.”