By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Fiscal Responsibility Commission has charged Federal Road Safety Corps to strengthen revenue performance and remittances through improved understanding of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007”.
The Director, Administration and Human Resource of the Commission, Alhaji Muhammed Zailani stated this while declaring open a two-day capacity building on Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
Alhaji Zailani, who represented the Executive Chairman, Victor Muruako,Esq appreciated the dynamic Management of the Federal Road Safety Corps for organizing the training against all odds, and for seeking a better understanding of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 in the quest to ensure full compliance on remittances of revenue to the Federal Government particularly this time “when all hands must be on deck to improve the Government capacity to provide solutions to all economic and infrastructural questions”.
According to him, the fiscal responsibility initiative which was fully adopted by the Federal Government was an internationally accepted solution to the plethora of challenges of many governments of the world against profligate and careless abuse of office by public office holders around the world including Nigeria.
He said the initiative introduced rules and regulations for government fiscal operations by all government officials, the adherence of which is expected to introduce discipline, prudence, accountability and transparency and to ensure that all public funds are accounted for.
He also stated that the Fiscal Responsibility law made provisions for clear governance of national fiscal ecosystem including Establishment, Functions and Powers of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, The Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF); The Annual Budget; Budget Planning of Corporations; Budgetary Execution and Achievement of Targets; Public Revenues; Savings and Asset Management; Public Expenditure; Debt and Indebtedness; Borrowing.
Others inlude, Transparency and Accountability; Enforcement; Miscellaneous Provisions; Interpretations as well as a Schedule, which captured the list of Government Owned Enterprises (GOEs). The Ten Parts of the Act as specified above has the mandate in its long title to “provide for prudent management of the nation’s resources, ensure long-term macro-economic stability of the national economy, secure greater accountability and transparency in fiscal operations within a medium-term fiscal policy framework, and the establishment of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission to ensure the promotion and enforcement of the nation’s economic objectives; and for related matters”.
The Director stated that the commitment of the Commission in the programme is to promote and enforce the nation’s economic objectives in terms of revenue generation, which has become very important for the government to implement its numerous programmes outlined in the national budget which need funding. Funding of projects can only be possible when there are resources to do so.
He described the Federal Road Safety Commission as of the Government agencies that earn revenue in several ways, adding that the programme is meant to strengthen the performance of the Federal Road Safety Corps on remittances through indebt knowledge of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
In a statement Bede Ogueri Anyanwu, Head of Strategic Communications Directorate, of FRC, the essence of the programme is to ensure that agencies spend wisely within the allowed financial provisions of the Government.
According to the statement, “The Commission assembled core professionals for the Capacity Development training to take FRSC staff through an overview of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, Remittance of Operating Surplus, Government Revenue and Fiscal governance”.
