After receiving N471.9 billion, the 36 state governments have signed a charter to sustain the principles of the World Bank-Assisted States Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Programme.
Acting under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the 36 governors have committed to replicate SFTAS in the local governments.
Governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Godwin Obaseki of Edo State signed the charter for the governors.
In the charter, the state governments agreed that they benefited from the fiscal reforms facilitated by SFTAS.
As a result, they have committed to “encourage the domestication of similar and relevant reforms at local government-level to strengthen their fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainability”.
The state governments have also agreed to support the sustainability of SFTAS-related reforms to increase Fiscal Transparency and Accountability, by publishing in line with timelines and best practice standards advocated by the programme for annual budgets; citizen’s budgets; budget implementation reports; audited financial statements and citizen’s accountability reports.
The NGF has equally agreed to strengthen Domestic Revenue Mobilisation, by implementing the new Consolidated Revenue Code (CRC) to “increase our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), reduce revenue leakages by fully implementing Treasury Single Account (TSA) at the state level, and increasing enumeration of properties within our states to strengthen land administration and data-driven property tax administration”.
Contained in the charter, the states have resolved to “increase efficiency in public expenditure, by improving the transparency and value for money of public procurement through the implementation of the new/amended procurement laws”.
They will also adopt e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), while implementing the new/amended State audit laws that guarantee the operational and financial autonomy of the Offices of State and Local Governments Auditors-General.
The state governments have vowed to “improve debt management and strengthen debt sustainability, by reducing the stock of domestic expenditure arrears, implementing the new/amended fiscal and debt laws, conducting and publishing Debt Sustainability Analysis as well as Medium-Term Debt Strategy reports in line with timelines and best practice standards advocated by the SFTAS programme.
Other commitments made by the the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in the charter include to support and participate in the annual States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) assessment and scorecard.
“Sustain Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms coordination and implementation mechanisms within our States” and support uptake and integration of courses to be offered on the NGF e-Learning Management System (LMS) with our in-State continuous learning and assessment of state officials.
The Charter is only one of the many activities in the broader SFTAS sustainability plan to be implemented by various partners and agencies on the programme.
Fayemi noted: “Much is already being sustained beyond SFTAS performance years, with States still publishing their fiscal documents in line with appropriate standards and pursuing the implementation of various laws that have been put in place.”
The governors expressed through the Charter, their “unwavering commitment to sustainability and willingness to be further accountable to the people”.