FRC, NIPSS Commend MDAs at Fiscal Transparency Training, Call for Stronger Compliance

By Iyojo Ameh

The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), in partnership with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, and ThinkBig Consulting Limited, has concluded a high-level training programme for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), with a renewed call for fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability in public finance management.

The week-long programme, themed “Strategies for Increased Fiscal Efficiency, Enhanced Government Revenue and Plugging Leakages in the Nigerian Financial System”, brought together participants from across government agencies to strengthen compliance with fiscal regulations

This was made known in a statement signed by Mr. Bede Ogueri Anyanwu, Head/Deputy Director, Strategic Communication Directorate, Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC).

Speaking at the closing ceremony, FRC Chairman, Victor Muruako, Esq., represented by his Special Adviser, Dr. Chris Uwadoka, commended the quality of engagement and urged MDAs to entrench a culture of financial prudence.

“The interactions were robust, questions were insightful, and the discussions frank. It is a sign that the MDAs are serious about improving public finance management,” Uwadoka said. He further reminded agencies to commence early preparations for their audited financial statements and adhere to remittance templates for Operating Surplus.

Dr. Solomon Titus Gushibet, Senior Fellow at NIPSS and coordinator of the training, expressed satisfaction with the participants’ conduct and commitment to reforms. He noted that the course covered nine thematic areas critical to enhancing transparency and accountability in governance.

Representing the NIPSS Director-General, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, Professor Jane Omotayo Aane praised the programme’s content, highlighting public procurement as a key area requiring urgent reforms. She warned that the failure of some MDAs to meet contractual obligations, leading to the formation of unions by aggrieved contractors, amounted to “an abuse of office.”

Prof. Aane urged the FRC to take a more active role in addressing procurement irregularities, while pledging NIPSS’s continued collaboration with agencies committed to strengthening accountability.

The training, which concluded in Abuja, is expected to equip participants to drive reforms in their respective agencies and serve as catalysts for improved fiscal responsibility across government institutions.