The Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, says the Federal Government is set to provide a legal framework for the institutionalisation of the Public Finance Management Reforms.
She said this at the opening of a two-day workshop on the newly restructured Finance and Accounts Department in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ahmed said that the ministry had concluded arrangements to present the proposed Public Finance Management Bill 2018, to the Federal Executive Council for approval before presenting it to the National Assembly as an executive bill.
The minister said that the newly restructured finance and account departments in the public service would promote uniformity and enhance efficiency and effectiveness of the operations in the department.
She also said that it would ensure clearer identification of roles and responsibilities of finance officers, adding that it was timely and in tandem with the public finance management reforms of the Federal Government.
“I am fully convinced that with the creation of Budget and Revenue Divisions on the new organogram, Directors of Finance and Account in conjunction with their accounting officers will ensure tighter controls over revenues and expenditures of their MDAs.”
Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, assured that the Federal Government was committed to enhancing the welfare of civil servants.
She said the Federal Government welfare consideration of civil servants was evident in the approval of the review of salaries as one of the eight priorities of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan.
Oyo-Ita was represented by Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office.
Mr Ahmed Idris, the Accountant-General of the Federation said that the re-organisation was to ensure reduction of audit queries arising from financial statements and implementation of uniform chart of accounts for accounting and budgeting functions service wide.
According to him, it will also ensure a uniform structure for MDAs reporting under the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and standardise operations of finance and accounts departments in all MDAS.
He added that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) was presently reviewing the financial regulations that was last reviewed in 2009 to be in tandem with the provisions of the reforms.
He said that the OAGF was working with the states and local government areas to ensure compliance, and expressed the hope that the MDAs would fully comply with the IPSAS reporting standard.
