Government should improve transparency, accountability in the budgeting ― CDD

Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has called on the government to take practical steps to improve transparency and accountability in the budgeting, expenditure and contracting processes.

The Director of the Center, Idayat Hassan made the call in a press statement made available to TribuneOnline in Lokoja on Wednesday.

She also mentioned that government officials and ruling party politicians exerting pressure on anti-corruption agencies and judiciary over corruption cases involving them, to be decisively sanctioned.

She stressed that Frontline pro-democracy think tank, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has released its five-year assessment report detailing the achievements and gaps in the implementation of the anti-corruption programme of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The report, which is a culmination of data-driven analysis of the milestones and shortcomings of the President’s anti-corruption drive, provides a mixed bag of performance in some areas and underperformance in others.

“To strengthen the processes and deepen citizens engagement with the work of anti-corruption institutions, the report calls for the involvement of technocrats, jurists, and civil society experts as members of the governing boards of the anti-corruption agencies.

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“Government was equally called upon to submit legislation outlawing security votes at the federal, state and local levels. The assessment further recommends a ban on the use of security votes, which should be accompanied by transparent and comprehensive budgeting procedures and criteria for security expenditures that meet international best practices and incorporate robust oversight mechanisms.

“It also wants the government to mandate ministries, departments and agencies submit all documentation to the Auditor-General of the Federation. The government was also called upon to invite respected citizen groups working on anti-corruption issues to be involved in interviewing candidates for key strategic positions in the anti-corruption agencies and provide written feedback to the administration on their suitability for such critical roles.

The centre commended President Muhammadu Buhari in the area of financial management reforms, which have been critical in preventing opportunities for corruption to thrive.

She opined that one of such reforms is the mandatory use of the Treasury Single Account, which has ended the lax and opaque system wherein government monies sat in disparate accounts, which made proper oversight impossible.

“The report also lists achievements like the TSA as signs of improved financial centralisation. The assessment points to the directives issued by the President mandating all government ministries, departments and agencies to use the TSA under the watchful eye of the Accountant General of the Federation, rather than maintain their own corruption-prone bank accounts,” she noted.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE