By David Lawani
A group, Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn, PERL, has called for fiscal legislative oversight for the implementation and revitalization of governance policy for the development and execution of budgets of impact in the interest of citizens.
In a one-day dialogue on Fiscal Governance and Economic Resilience in Nigeria organised by PERL (a UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – FCDO funded governance programme in Nigeria) held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, with thought leaders drawn from the public and private sectors, academia, civil society groups and the media which examined the theme from different perspectives.
Dr. Adiya Ode, the National Team Leader in his remarks earlier said the essence of the dialogue was aimed at making a convergence available where leaders of thoughts with a wealth of experience and vast knowledge are able to share ideas on how to move the nation forward.
In a communique issued at the end of the dialogue, the group observed that innovation drives technology and there is a need to deploy it to advance the course of governance and deepening of democratic norms among citizens.
Some of the recommendations arrived at at the end of the discussion reads” Providing a platform for thought leaders to brainstorm on the many contending issues of fiscal governance and to recommend actionable policy options for policymakers and practitioners; and
initiating a public discourse around fiscal federalism and economic resilience among the citizenry to influence policy decisions within government at the national and sub-national levels.
“They need to reinvent Nigeria’s fiscal governance will require complementary reforms to strengthen formulation and execution of the budget; the use of consultants in the tax regime is detrimental to national revenue drive, and thus, there is a need to institute a vibrant revenue generation drive by public institutions instead of using consultants; the need for synergy and coordination among government agencies in fiscal governance in the implementation of the major frameworks.
‘Innovative fiscal policy administration required in tackling underperforming or performing revenue generation mechanism of the agencies at both national and sub-national levels is key in effective fiscal governance in Nigeria; public financial management reforms that will have a greater impact on transparency and accountability;
” The need for an integrated revenue architecture at the national and subnational levels working independently to enhance revenue drive in the robust fiscal governance of Nigeria; the role and absolute independence of Legislative Oversight, Public Account Committee (PAC) and the Auditor General of the Federation, is sacrosanct ineffective fiscal governance in Nigeria”, it said.
It however stated further that using legislative oversight to sustain independent activities of the Auditor General of the Federation cannot be out of place noting that capacity development among public officials is a prerequisite for the implementation of fiscal governance strategies.
“The need for urgent legislation to guarantee the independence of Auditor General of the Federation to enhance efficiency, transparency and accountability at all levels of governments; capacity building among public officials in the preparation and implementation of fiscal governance strategic frameworks, especially at the sub-national level is important to re-energize the fiscal governance in Nigeria.
“The adoption of a bottom-up approach, instead of the current top-down method in the preparation of the budget/MTEF should be encouraged, as that will not only enhance citizen’s engagement but also serve as enlightenment on the expected role of government to the citizens; services that are meant for the states should be removed from Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List for the purposes of a harmonious tax regime between the national and sub-national levels of government.
“The the need for a strong fiscal governance system that requires strong fiscal rules and institutions, supported by measures that will strengthen the quality of spending in order to address corruption, transparency and accountability; key sectors, such as agriculture, information and communication technology, construction and transportation being the main drivers that facilitated the nation’s recovery from recessions, require more investments that will transform the economy.
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“Put in place a mechanism for the generation of data and evidence to support fiscal policy reforms that will improve government revenue and expenditure systems; measures to maintain micro-economic stability such as: reducing inflation, implementation of foreign exchange management system that will improve the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment, thereby addressing the issue of funding government projects/budgets Putting public service delivery at the centre of public finance management.
Harmonization of all tax laws in the Federation to allow for more innovative ways of taxation that will avoid duplicity and multiplicity in the collection of taxes across the three tiers of government in the country; Centralization of the entire database linked with the National Identity Numbers of citizen on taxation to be domiciled with the tax authority. This will allow government have real-time intelligence on the economic status of citizens and for planning purposes”, Ode said.
PERL initiative operates in seven locations at the federal/national level, in the partner states of Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, and through regional learning and reform centres in the South-West and South-East. The initiative also works in the North-East, with an emphasis on improving the coordination of recovery operations in Yobe and Borno states.
