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Tag: Alhaji Ahmed Idris

TSA: FG consolidates 20,000 accounts, saves N4.7b monthly

Since the forced collapse of all MDA accounts, into one Treasury Single Account (TSA), the federal government has consolidated over 20,000 public sector bank accounts and saved N4.7 billion monthly from bank charges.

The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Alhaji Ahmed Idris, gave the figures in Abuja at a two day workshop for finance journalists on the TSA and other public financial management reforms.

Ahmed stated that by aggressively implementing the TSA across board, the federal government has been able to eliminate multiple banking arrangements that were hitherto used as fraud channels.

Also the consolidation of public sector accounts the AGF said, “has further brought about transparency and effective tracking of government revenues.”

He revealed that before the policy was introduced into the public sector as part of the public financial management reforms, a monthly sum of N4.7 billion was incurred by the Federal Government as bank charges, interest on loans, and account maintenance fees among other charges.

By withdrawing public funds from banks, the federal government Ahmed said “had made it difficult to impose any charges on federal government funds as the government now maintains a single account for all its agencies with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Idris said the TSA policy has helped the government to overcome indiscriminate borrowings by MDAs resulting in government saving a lot of bank charges associated with these borrowings.

According to the AGF, “as part of our stewardship, TSA has enabled us to make tremendous gains to the federal government and to the Nigerian economy, we have successfully eliminated multiple banking arrangements, resulting in consolidation of over 20,000 bank accounts which were spread over Deposit Money banks across the country.”

Stiff implementation of the TSA policy, he said, has led to the blocking of leakages and abuse which characterized the public finance management prior to its advent.

On the payment of backlogs of promotion arrears for civil servants, the AGF stated that that the federal government has commenced the process of making payments to affected civil servants.

He said a new approach has been adopted to check the rate of abuse of the process. “Henceforth, the accounts of those that were promoted and are being owed arrears would be credited directly after all the necessary verification exercise.”

To this end, about N13.2 billion, he said “had been provided for the payments of backlogs of promotion for civil servants.”

Ahmed Idris also disclosed that his Office has concluded plans with Hewlett-Packard (HP) for the training and certification of its software engineers and prospective Nigerians.

August 16, 2017
‘CBN, SEC, PTDF, others didn’t remit N450b’

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), National Agency for Food and Dr ug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), among others have been accused of failing to remit about N450billion operating surpluses.

To recover this funds, the Ministry of Finance has constituted a committee.

The committee, led by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, was mandated to reconcile the operating surpluses of 31 revenue-generating agencies of government between 2010 and 2015.

A statement from the Ministry of Finance endorsed by Festus Akanbi, Special Assistant, media to the Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, explained that “the findings of the committee so far, have shown under-remittance of over N450 billion, which accrued within the period.”

The Finance Ministry said workers at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation have critically reviewed the accounting statements of the agencies. It added that the Committee will therefore be inviting the management of the affected agencies to explain why their operating surpluses were not remitted as mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.

Some of these agencies, the ministry lamented, “have incurred huge expenses on overseas training and medicals, and huge expenses on behalf of supervisory ministries and/other organs of government involved in oversight or regulatory functions without appropriate approval.”

Other infractions include payment of salaries and allowances to workers and board members, governing councils, and commissions which are outside or above the amount approved by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC) and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.

The list also includes unacceptable expenses incurred on donations, sponsorships, and others; unfavourable contract signed for revenue collection by a third party; granting of loans to workers that have not been repaid as well as sale and transfer of assets to board members, among others.

According to the Finance Ministry, the overall effect of these practices is that operating surpluses of these agencies are lower than should be.

As a result of this, Mrs. Adeosun has directed the Accountant-General of the Federation to issue a circular that will limit allowable expenses that can be spent as part of measures to ensure that these agencies face strict monitoring.

This development, the statement explained, is part of the resolve of the minister to ensure that leakages are blocked.

November 16, 2016
CBN, SEC, others fingered in N450bn un-remitted operating surpluses

The Federal Ministry of Finance said it constituted a committee to recover unremitted operating surpluses of agencies of government, running into N450billion.

The committee led by the Accountant General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, was mandated to reconcile the operating surpluses of 31 revenue-generating agencies of government for the period 2010-2015.

A statement from ministry of finance signed by Festus Akanbi, Special Assistant, media to the finance minister said “the findings of the committee so far, have shown under-remittance of over N450 billion, which has accrued within the period.”

The Finance Ministry stated that staff of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation have critically reviewed the accounting statements of these agencies, which include the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Petroleum Technology Development Fund, (PTDF), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), among others.

The Committee will therefore be inviting the management of these agencies to explain why their operating surpluses have not been remitted as mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.

Some of these agencies the ministry said “have incurred huge expenses on overseas training and medicals, and huge expenses on behalf of supervisory ministries and/other organs of government involved in oversight or regulatory functions without appropriate approval.”

Other infractions include payment of salaries and allowances to staff and board members, governing councils, and commissions which are outside or above the amount approved by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC) and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.

The list also includes unacceptable expenses incurred on donations, sponsorships, etc; unfavourable contract signed for revenue collection by a third party; granting of staff loans that have not been repaid as well as sale and transfer of assets to board members, among others.

According to the Finance Ministry, the overall effect of these practices is that operating surpluses of these agencies are lower than should be.

As a result of this, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has directed the Accountant General of the Federation to issue a circular that will limit allowable expenses that can be spent as part of measures to ensure these agencies face strict monitoring.

This development the statement said is part of the resolve of the Minister to ensure that leakages are tackled.

November 15, 2016
TSA hits N2.3tr as 98% of MDAs complies

• Fed Govt, IMF urge states to adopt TSA system

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), yesterday said it has mopped up N2.3 trillion into the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Its Director of Funds, Mr. Mohammed Dikwa, disclosed this at the opening session of the workshop on TSA in Abuja.

He said with over 17,000 bank accounts being operated at the federal level in commercial banks, government had no choice but to introduce the TSA which has so far helped in mopping up about N2.3trillion into the various accounts maintained and operated at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

In similar vein, the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr.Alhaji Ahmed Idris, said 98 per cent of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have complied with the TSA.

He said following government’s February last year directive, all federal MDAs are now on TSA operating their account successfully through the CBN.

Idris said: “As at December 2015, 726 MDAs, which are responsible for almost 98 per cent of the national budget have complied fully.”

According to him, the challenges encountered in the adoption of the TSA were entrenched resistance from banks and the MDAs, which the Federal Government has now overcome.

With the massive compliance, the AGF noted, the new challenge is that of capacity building , and the application of information technology (IT).

In her opening remarks, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who was represented by Mr. Adeseye Shefuye said the balance, which changes daily as MDAs remit revenues and make payments, according to the latest reports from CBN exceeded N2.2 Trillion.

She said: “I can report that work is now ongoing within the Treasury, to determine how much of these funds can potentially be utilised to part fund the 2016 budget and how much relates to pending commitments. This, of course, will reduce the amount to be borrowed.”

TSA, she said, has provided government with financial information on the revenues of agencies funded by government and has reduced revenue suppression.

She noted that the information is being used to drive government’s programme to enforce compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act and ensure that revenue generating agencies generate expected surpluses and remit to the Federation Account.

Mrs Adeosun said: “TSA has eliminated opportunities for brokerage and other corrupt practices that previously encouraged agencies to accumulate funds with commercial banks rather than apply them to their intended uses.

February 9, 2016
Treasury Single Account not punitive, says AGF

The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Alhaji Ahmed Idris, has said the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) is not a punitive measure targeted at any government establishment.

Idris made this clarification in Abuja while receiving members of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities who were at the Treasury House to discuss the operations of the universities.

He said: “The introduction of the TSA is not a punitive measure targeted at any government establishment or an attempt to jeopardise the peace and stability of the university system, but part of the reforms being introduced by this administration to institutionalise a more effective and transparent management of public finances in the country.”

He maintained that the TSA is aimed at creating a single pool where all government’s receipts are kept in one account, thus making it possible at a glance to know the state of all the accounts.

In order to ensure smooth implementation of the TSA, Alhaji Idris said the Office of the Accountant General (OAGF) has set up a special committee to be headed by a director, to address all issues or enquires from the affected ministries, department and afencies (MDAs) and make sure the operations of specialised agencies such as the universities are not hampered by the project. He reassured the visitors that the OAGF will collaborate with the universities to ensure that all matters raised are addressed to ensure that the universities are more efficient and transparently managed.

The AGF allayed fears being expressed by some MDAs that the directive of President Muhammed Buhari on TSA for the e-collection of government receipts will negatively affect the operations of some specialised agencies. He said: “It will rather improve their efficiency and increase the rating of the nation’s economy.”

Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Secretary of the Committee of Vice chancellors, Prof Michael Faborode, told the AGF that the universities by their operations and services rendered, are peculiar establishments which should not regarded as purely public service or categorised as revenue generating agencies. He therefore called for a review of the inclusion of the universities in the TSA circular.

He expressed fears that the implementation of the TSA in the university system may distort effective functioning of the university system, since according to him, their allocations are hardly enough to cater for their basic needs.

August 19, 2015