SFTAS: OGP Urges CSOs to Strengthen Fiscal Reforms in States

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

To conform to the ideals of the World Bank-assisted States Fiscal Transparency Accountability and sustainability (SFTAS) Programme for Results, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) has tasked civil society organisations (CSOs) in the country to redouble their efforts in strengthening fiscal reforms at the sub-national level.

It said the call became imperative to promote fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainability at the second tier of government.

OGP’s National Programme Coordinator, Gloria Ahmed made the call yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State at a two-day zonal workshop organised by the OGP for CSOs in the South-South region in collaboration with Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office(FCDO)-funded programme.

The workshop with the theme, ‘Dissemination of the Guide to Enhance Citizens Understanding of Fiscal Issues and Publications by State Governments,’ was designed to engage and guide citizens using the SFTAS Citizens Guidance document to enable them understand the technicalities in the expected Public Financial Management Publications from state governments in line with the SFTAS Programme.

It was also envisaged to strengthen the capacity of the citizens and citizen groups to hold informed engagements with the government and demand further transparency, accountability, and continuance of the SFTAS’ output.

A statement issued by the SFTAS ‘ Communications Specialist, Ibrahim Mohammed quoted

Ahmed as saying that the SFTAS programme was one of Nigeria’s most laudable and enduring fiscal reforms initiated by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration that would outlive current administrations in the states, especially with the commitment and enthusiasm shown by the incumbent governors across the country.

While presenting the Citizens Guide Document jointly developed by OGP/FCDO-PERL at the workshop, the OGP National Coordinator, also called on states to ensure the adoption of a more participatory budgeting process that brings in the voices of the unheard, underserved and considers equality of voices in decision-making phases.  

According to her, the Nigeria OGP Secretariat was tasked with the responsibility of providing technical assistance to states under the SFTAS Programme to achieve results in the online publication of approved citizens’ budget with accountability report of citizens’ participation in the budget process and ensure the sustainability of the SFTAS reforms beyond the programme’s timeline. She said: “To sustain the gains, it is equally important to invest more in the technical capacities of Non-State Actors to take forward the SFTAS programme’s ideals by creating a sense of ownership within the states.”

“To this end, we commenced the delivery of the Just in Time Advisory Services on Citizens Budget and Citizens Accountability Report to increase understanding of actors in these areas and leave a foundation that state and non-state actors can build upon.”

Earlier in his remarks, the National Programme Manager, Accountable, Responsive & Capable Government (ARC), FCDO-PERL, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuoke disclosed that Citizens’ Guidance Material provides the rudimentary knowledge to help the citizens build requisite skills needed to better hold government accountable in a constructive and non-confrontational manner.

He explained that the material which was necessitated by the inherent poor engagement skill and knowledge needed by the citizens to better hold government to account was primarily designed as a reference document for non-state actors, including civil society organisations (CSOs), organised private sector players, community-based organisations (CBOs) etc, to enhance their engagement skills for better governance outcome.

Speaking on behalf of the SFTAS Programme Coordination Unit, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed, SFTAS Programme Communications Specialist noted that given the resounding success recorded by the programme in improving public financial management at sub-national level, CSOs have a societal responsibility to continue to monitor the implementation of relevant laws and practices that will ensure the sustainability of its ideals.

Mohammed stressed that the CSOs could do so through direct engagement with the States when they are empowered with the necessary tools and templates and the needed capacity to interrogate work processes through sustained close monitoring to ensure sustainability of fiscal reforms in the states.