Curbing the culture of fiscal irresponsibility

This ugly situation which has eaten deep into our national psyche is assuming a more frightening dimension by the day. No wonder, successive administrations conceptualized policy frameworks and blueprints as well as enacted laws for the speedy growth and sustainable development of the economy. However, such policies directly or indirectly were sabotaged and thereby reducing […]

This ugly situation which has eaten deep into our national psyche is assuming a more frightening dimension by the day. No wonder, successive administrations conceptualized policy frameworks and blueprints as well as enacted laws for the speedy growth and sustainable development of the economy. However, such policies directly or indirectly were sabotaged and thereby reducing them to a mere paperwork which never see the light of the day.

Such policies as Murtala’s Civil Service Reform agenda (1975), Shagari’s Ethical Revolution (1983), War Against Indiscipline by the General Buhari regime (1984),  Abacha’s War Against Indiscipline and Corruption (1995) and Chief Obasanjo’s ICPC and EFCC were some of the initiatives embarked upon by successive regimes, all aimed at cultivating a culture of responsibility and accountability.

When Yar’adua/Jonathan government came on board, it gave a welcome fillip to the anti-corruption crusade by promulgating the Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007) and constituting the Fiscal Responsibility Commission to oversee implementation of the law.

The act, which was assented to on July, 30, 2007, provides “for prudent management of the nation’s resources, enquire long term macroeconomic stability of the national economy, secure greater accountability and transparency in fiscal operations within a medium term fiscal policy framework and the establishment of Fiscal Responsibility Commission to ensure the promotion and enforcement of the nation’s economic objectives”.

The fundamental objective of establishing the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the adoption of previous fiscal policies in the country are to reform the management of Nigeria’s public finances and promote prudent and transparent fiscal management in the country through integrity, truth, justice and prudence by all stakeholders.

The Act spells out specifically the role and function of the commission. It empowers it to compel any person or government institution to disclose information relating to public revenues and expenditures and cause an investigation into whether any person has violated any provision of the Act.

Promulgation of FOI Act will undoubtedly make the work of FRC easier as it becomes mandatory for public servants to disclose information regarding their operations. This will improve the relationship between the government and the governed as the citizen can now be better informed about the utilization of their funds by those charged with the authority to manage them. This will promote openness and accountability.

In addition to monitoring and investigating the activities of the MDAs, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission has the power to equally advise the Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute anybody or group who may have violated the provisions of the act. This is to make public officers accountable in their respective assignments. One notable mandate of the FRC is the power and authority to visit any organization at random with a view to ensuring judicious management of resources for the betterment of the people of Nigeria.

As part of the strategy to achieve its goal, the commission, recently, organized an in- house capacity building workshop for its staff. The workshop was to, among other things, mobilize the staff on their expected roles in the project of making Nigeria a great nation, free from corruption and mismanagement.

During the workshop, presentations were made on the process of good governance, accountability and transparency.

Speaking at the occasion, the commission’s chairman Alhaji Aliyu Jibril Yelwa told the participants that the spirit of the Fiscal Responsibility Act is to wean Nigeria away from the prevailing malaise which had often retarded its growth. If the provisions of the Act are fully implemented, he said, it will certainly create a better, stronger, more prosperous nation for the next generation.

Prior to the coming on board of the FRC, he said, the management of public finances at the federal, state and local government levels in the country was less than wholesome. “Nigeria has been experiencing unstable public spending tied to the fortunes and shocks of mineral oil. There were weak fiscal relations between the federal government and the federating units as well as uncontrolled and unsustainable borrowings which led to inability to repay loans,” the chairman added.

While expressing optimism that the country will realize its potentiality, he pointed out: “No sacrifice is too much in the course of making the country great, Nigeria is our country we are determined to make our contribution for its sustainable growth, I urged each and every one of you to be up and doing in this onerous task.”

In the same vein, the chairman of the FRC observed that in the past there was no popular participation in the preparations, execution and monitoring of the revenue and expenditure which led to waste and misappropriation.

“Accountability and transparency in the past were poor, governments were neither accountable to legislatures nor to the electorate, this often led to corruption and outright mismanagement,” he said.

But with the establishment of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, there has been a positive change of attitude among public servants in the management of resources. Nigeria, the chairman said, is gradually returning to the path of glory through accountability and transparency in public service.

Although it is too early to measure the performance of the commission whose operations started just about two years ago, given the prevailing scenario which prompted its establishment, things are beginning to take shape for the better as a new crop of promising public officers are now taking the centre stage at the three tiers of government. The activities of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, no doubt, played a role in this.

Garba is an Assistant Chief Strategic Communication Officer at the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Abuja