Cost of governance too high — Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has said the cost of governance in Nigeria is too high and stressed that it must be cut down.Jonathan, who said this yesterday in his New Year message to the nation, pledged to take further steps to curb corruption and leakages. The president also promised to curtail foreign travels by government officials, saying […]

President Goodluck Jonathan has said the cost of governance in Nigeria is too high and stressed that it must be cut down.
Jonathan, who said this yesterday in his New Year message to the nation, pledged to take further steps to curb corruption and leakages.
 The president also promised to curtail foreign travels by government officials, saying a directive on this shall apply to all ministries, departments and agencies of government.
“Our administration believes that the cost of governance in the country is still too high and must be further reduced. We will also take additional steps to stem the tide of corruption and leakages.
“We have worked hard to curb fraud in the administration of the pension system and the implementation of the petroleum subsidy scheme. We have introduced a Pensions Transition Arrangement Department under a new Director-General. This department will now ensure that those of our pensioners still under the old scheme receive their pensions and gratuities, and are not subjected to fraud. Prosecution of all those involved in robbing our retired people will continue. The Petroleum Subsidy Scheme is also now being operated under new strict guidelines to tackle previous leakages in the scheme and prevent fraud.
“Foreign travel by government personnel will be further curtailed. This directive shall apply to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government,” he said.
He said the government would in 2014 complete the deployment of the three electronic platforms such as the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Jonathan, who noted that all these reforms were geared towards improving efficiency and transparency in the nation’s public finances, said through them, the government had already saved about N126 billion in leaked funds and intended to save more.
The president said the Independent National Electoral Commission would be given all required support to ensure it is adequately prepared for the next general elections.