The federal government yesterday said it had concluded plans to deploy directors of finance&accounts to selected Federal Government’s Owned Enterprises (FGOEs) to act as drivers in its efforts at increasing revenue performance, ensure transparency and prevent further leakages in accruals.
This move was disclosed by Mrs. Zainab Ahmed the Hon. Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning. She said the initiative which is still on pilot phase, will involve 10 FGOEs including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Others are the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Nigeria Shippers Council and Nigerian Port Authority (NPA).
Speaking at the opening of an orientation programme for the revenue directors, which was organised by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), the minister said government enterprises have huge potentials and capacity for revenue generation if properly managed to significantly improve the revenue base of the federal government.
She said: “It is in this light that the deployment of the treasury directors is considered expedient to the selected FGOEs as a pilot.”
She said the continuous reliance on oil revenue would mean that public expenditures will always be dwindled by shocks in global oil market price, which is not within the government’s control.
Ahmed said one of the possible solutions was to look into the non-oil revenues, take advantage of the potentials and make it robust.
She expressed optimism that the presence of directors of revenue at the FGOEs will ensure strict adherence to extant rules and regulations in the areas of compliance to approved budgets and due process mechanism in procurement and payments.
Significantly, the minister said the directors would in the course of the discharge of their functions be involved in the revenue operations of the FGOEs, have a better understanding of business processes and procedures of the enterprises and cause improved transparency and accountability in their revenue reporting.
She said they are also expected to seek for opportunities and avenues for revenue improvements which is the ultimate aim of the government adding that the discharge of these duties will be aided with the deployment of Information Technology tools to help their tasks.
Ahmed further pointed out that the integrated revenue monitoring system is being put in place to help the monitoring of the revenues of the FGOEs online real-time and to ensure its improved transparency and accountability.
The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Ahmed Idris, said the only solution to the serious fiscal challenges facing the country was to diversify from the volatile oil revenue and look inward into the non-oil revenues with particular attention to the FGOEs.
He said the development was in line with the circular from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) dated October 16, 2018, on revenue performance framework for FGOEs.
He said: “The vision of this initiative is to achieve transparency and accountability of government revenue with special focus on FGOEs, improved revenue performance and ultimately to provide a sustainable source of funding for government budget execution.”
The initiative will further ensure that government enterprises remit appropriate operating surpluses into the federation account.
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