Abdullahi Saidu, President Bola Tinubu’s nominee for chairman of the board of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), says the organisation has been without a board for more than 13 years, hindering its ability to carry out its mandate effectively.
Saidu spoke on Thursday during the screening of nominees for
the commission’s board by the senate committee on finance.
In July, Tinubu nominated Saidu as chairman of FRC, while
Muhammad Asma’u, Muhammad Makama, Suleiman Gidado, Louis Ndukwe, Amechi Ugwele
and Olaniyi Onikola were nominated as members.
Saidu previously served as a board member of the Independent
Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), having been
appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari on February 4, 2019, and
reappointed on March 15, 2023.
SAIDU SEEKS MORE POWERS FOR COMMISSION
Speaking during the screening, Saidu said the commission
lacks the necessary institutional structure and powers to perform its functions
effectively, adding that the proposed board would work with the national
assembly and other stakeholders to strengthen the agency.
“The commission has been without a board for more than 13
years now. So now this board, it’s like we are virtually going to start all
over because there was nothing in place,” he said.
Saidu said the commission was supposed to have offices in at
least one location in each geopolitical zone but currently operates only from
Abuja.
He pledged that, if confirmed, the board would work with the
national assembly to review the law establishing the commission and strengthen
its independence and operational capacity.
“I am assuring that, if we go in, we will work hard to
liaise with the national assembly to see how we are going to strengthen the
Act, which will empower us to do our work independently and effectively,” he
said.
The nominee said the commission lacks prosecutorial powers
and can only investigate matters before forwarding findings to the
attorney-general of the federation for prosecution.
“Because right now, we cannot do anything. We don’t have
prosecution power; we don’t have any power,” he said.
“We were told we can only investigate and send our report to
the honourable attorney general and minister of justice for prosecution.”
He also pledged to improve government revenue by monitoring
operating surpluses generated by government-owned and scheduled organisations.
According to him, some revenue-generating organisations fail
to remit the appropriate portion of their operating surpluses to the federal
government.
He explained that such organisations were expected to remit
80 percent of their operating surpluses to the Consolidated Revenue Fund while
retaining 20 percent for their operations.
“Because the commission is not informed, so they just
declare whatever they feel they want to declare,” he said.
Saidu said the commission would strengthen its monitoring of
operating revenue if the nominees were confirmed.
He also pledged to examine the revenue practices of agencies
fully funded through the national budget.
“If we are given an opportunity and we are confirmed, we
will monitor that operating revenue properly,” he stated.
Saidu expressed confidence that the proposed board would
improve the commission’s performance within a year, provided it receives the
necessary support from the national assembly and other stakeholders.
OYEWUNMI URGES NOMINEES TO PREPARE FOR TECHNICAL ASSIGNMENT
Lere Oyewumi, deputy minority leader of the senate and
vice-chairman of the senate committee on finance, who presided over the
screening, cautioned the nominees that managing the commission requires
specialised knowledge.
Oyewumi, who represented Sani Musa, chairman of the
committee, said the nominees would need to familiarise themselves with the
commission’s mandate before assuming office.
“This commission you are going to head, it is a very
technical commission, quite different from the ICPC you are coming from. And
you need a lot of knowledge that we don’t believe you have now, because you are
just coming in from various backgrounds,” he said.
He urged the nominees to undertake retreats with experts and
engage in extensive reading to prepare for the responsibilities ahead.
At the end of the screening, Osita Ngwu, senator
representing Enugu west, moved a motion for Saidu and the other nominees to
take a bow and leave the screening session.
Ngwu said Saidu’s responses showed that he has taken
responsibility for addressing the committee’s questions on behalf of the
nominees.
“What I observed from his responses so far is that he used
‘we’ instead of ‘I’, which means he took responsibility as leader to respond on
behalf of the other nominees, and the CVs of the other nominees are with us,”
he said.
Sadiq Umar, senator representing Kwara north, seconded the
motion.
The committee is expected to submit its report to the senate
for further legislative action.
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