Fiscal Discipline Critical To Transparency, Efficient Service Delivery – Muruako

The Federal government has called for increased involvement of civil society and citizens in enforcing fiscal discipline, describing it as a critical pillar for transparency and improved service delivery.

The Chairman, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Victor Muruako, made the call in Abuja at the public presentation of the Audit Opportunities Assessment Study, organised by the Centre for Social Justice in partnership with the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC) Programme of the European Union.

Represented by the Director, Legal Investment and Enforcement, Charles Abana, the FRC Chairman described the study as pertinent and timely, given the overriding imperative to ensure effective and efficient use of public resources for the delivery of public services and the dividends of democracy.

He commended the CSJ, led by its Lead Director, Eze Onyekpere, for its consistent dedication to transforming accountability and transparency in governance through data and knowledge-driven tools.

Muruako stated that, “the Centre for Social Justice has consistently advanced and extended the frontiers of Accountability, Transparency & Fiscal Responsibility in governance over the years through robust and effective advocacy, research, and publications.”

Muruako outlined the core benefits of actively identifying and utilizing audit findings, which he said align perfectly with the spirit of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), 2007 to include
Promotion of transparency and accountability, Improved efficiency and prevention of wastage.
Reduction of corruption and misuse of public funds, tracing and recovery of lost revenue and enhanced citizen engagement and public trust in governance.

He emphasized that these objectives dovetail with the FRA’s goals of ensuring greater prudence, value for money, fiscal discipline, a saving culture, and sustainable borrowing practices across all tiers of government.

Earlier the Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, Eze Onyekpere called for the review of the audit law, stating that the existing law of the 1950’s is not meeting the present day reality.

He also called for effective implementation of the existing law before its amendment to enable sanctions on erring officers.

According to Onyekpere “This is a public presentation of the audit assessment study. At the beginning of the study, we look deeper into the surrounding circumstances or issues that have illimited audit effectiveness, and we looked at the political-economy dimensions. And beyond confirming the level of fraud in the system.

“We were able to find out the core and critical issues that have made audit ineffective. And one great fact that came out is that there are no sanctions, no punishment for violations.”

“So if you have a law that says don’t do this, but if you do it, there is no sanction, then persons working in MDAs therefore took this for a ride.”
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In a remark, the program Manager of Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC) Dr. Emmanuel Uche expressed confidence that the newly launched study would thoroughly examine the challenges and best practices of utilizing audit opportunities, particularly the imperative of citizen involvement.

The event brought together stakeholders from government, civil society, and the development sector to discuss strategies for strengthening Nigeria’s public finance management framework through enhanced audit processes.

Florence Adewale, Edited By Grace Namiji