FRC Sensitizes Government, Citizens on Sustaining Fiscal Transparency and Accountability in States

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos 

Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) has taken its sensitization campaign to states in the North-central Nigeria, urging government and citizens to live up to their roles in improving and sustaining fiscal transparency and accountability in states.

Addressing his audience at a three-day workshop in Jos, Plateau state, chairman of FRC, Mr. Victor Muruako acknowledged that some states of the federation have enacted Fiscal Responsibility Laws, established requisite Fiscal Responsibility Commissions and duly funded the commissions.

Commending these states, Muruako added, “We also commend the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for their peer review programmes that have helped states to upgrade their practices. Without the buy-in of states, the interventions would not have delivered on expected outcomes.”

 He said that the campaign in Jos was for the Commissioners of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, and State Debt Management Officials, State Auditors General, relevant Civil Society Organizations whose areas are transparency and fiscal governance, and State Fiscal Responsibility Commissions in Plateau, Adamawa, Kogi, Kwara, Benue, and Niger States.

He however, observed that citizens across the 36 states of the Nigerian Federation are not making good use of the large and detailed volume of information on budget plans, budget execution and audit reports placed online by states of the federation, adding that “this threatens the sustainability of the gains in fiscal responsibility at the subnational level.”

FRC spokesperson, Bede Ogueri Anyanwu noted that workshop has various packages including; seminars on Strengthening fiscal management at the State level through Fiscal Responsibility Law; The Imperative of Fiscal Transparency and Accountability in the sustainable development of States; Ensuring Sub-national Debt Sustainability and Sustaining and deepening results of the State Fiscal Transparency and Accountability (SFTAS) program in North-Central.