By Olukayode Idowu
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), a Nigerian knowledge Institution and leading advocate for fiscal transparency and accountability, has demanded that the federal government immediately release 2022 Budget Implementation Reports in Adherence to the Fiscal Responsibility Act
The CSJ in a statement on Friday signed by its Lead Director, Eze Onyekpere, strongly urged the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning through the Budget Office of the Federation to promptly release the third quarter, fourth quarter and consolidated budget implementation reports of the 2022 budget, as well as the first quarter implementation report of the 2023 budget, in strict adherence to Section 30 (1) and (2) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
The statement read that: “According to Section 30 (1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, it is the duty of the Minister of Finance, through the Budget Office of the Federation, to diligently monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Annual Budget. This includes the crucial task of assessing the attainment of fiscal targets and providing comprehensive quarterly reports to both the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the Joint Finance Committee of the National Assembly.
“Furthermore, Section 30 (2) mandates that the Minister of Finance ensures that the prepared reports, as per subsection (1), are published in mass media, electronic platforms, and on the official Ministry of Finance website no later than 30 days after the end of each quarter.”
The statement however said it was regrettably, at present, only the first and second quarter implementation reports of the 2022 budget are accessible on the website of the Budget Office of the Federation, insisting that this lack of transparency raises concerns about the government’s commitment to upholding fiscal responsibility and inhibits public scrutiny of budget implementation.
The statement further read that: “The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) firmly emphasizes that the release of these implementation reports is not merely a legal obligation but an essential step towards ensuring accountability and transparency in public finance management. Access to timely and comprehensive information allows citizens, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to assess the government’s performance, hold it accountable, and contribute to the overall improvement of fiscal policies and practices. It will be most inappropriate, illegal and a big dereliction of duty for the Minister of Finance to leave office on May 29 2023 without performing fundamental statutory duties whilst drawing down all her salaries, allowances, emoluments and perks of office.
“In the circumstances, CSJ urges the Minister of Finance and the Budget Office of the Federation to fulfill its duty promptly by releasing these overdue budget implementation reports of the 2022 budget, as well as the first quarter implementation report of the 2023 budget, in adherence to the stipulations outlined in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. We call upon the government to prioritize transparency and accountability in public finance management, as these principles are fundamental to fostering trust, promoting good governance, and achieving sustainable development.”
[5/5, 7:08 PM] Michael Olugbode: Make Laws to Ensure Gender Parity, Nigeria, Other West African countries Asked
Nigeria and other countries in the West African sub-region has been asked to make laws that would ensure gender parity.
The call was made on Friday at the Opening of ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) Town Hall Meeting in Abuja.
Speaking while declaring open the meeting, the Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Dr. Sidie Mohammed Tunis said it is pertinent to create an atmosphere of gender equality in the countries of the sub-region for growth and harmony.
Tunis who appreciated the demonstration of commitment and political will exhibited by President Julius Maada Bio of the Republic of Sierra Leone, who recently signed into law the landmark Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Bill 2022, guaranteeing the principles of inclusion, representation, participation, and a more responsive posture on gender, said: “We are hopeful that similar action will be replicated in all our Member States.”
The Speaker also acknowledge and commend the very important steps being taken by ECOWAS Member States to address Gender issues.
On the townhall meeting, he said: “My sincere anticipation is that the days that have been allocated to this event would no doubt open a vista of hope for democracy in our region.”
He said: “I am optimistic that the lessons learned at the end of this townhall meeting, would transcend our region. With our ambitious and vibrant young population, we have good reasons to look up to the future.”
He noted that the substance of the meeting, which is adequately captured in
the theme “Rejuvenate Democracy by giving voice to the young people”, is particularly timely, stressing that: “It is coming at a time when the gains we have made towards strengthening democracy in the sub-region is being eroded by the sudden and unfortunate resurgence of unconstitutional changes of Government in some Member States.”
He disclosed that the meeting was strategically aligned with the current ECOWAS Vision 2050, which places more emphasis on women and youth
development in the sub-region, and is aimed at maddressing some of the issues that have contributed to gender inequalities in the region, despite the progress made by most countries regarding women’s participation in the
economic and social sectors.
He said: “I am happy to note that the ECOWAS Parliament, through the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), has been a strong promoter of scaling up the number of female representations in politics and decision-making bodies in the subregion, by emphasizing the importance of shared values and common policies as a basis for peace and sustainable development.”
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Ann Iyonu urged the West Africa region to prioritize women and youth representation in governance as a way of improving the sub-region.
Iyonu empathized that democracy cannot thrive and function well if it is not inclusive, stating that Women and Youth are major components of the society who should play critical roles in leadership and governance.
She said that the townhall meeting aimed at giving voice to women and youth is timely but expressed disappointment over the low percentage of women elected into the next Assembly of Nigeria.
She also pointed out that women and youth representatives especially in the Parliaments of the West Africa region is very low compared to other regions in Africa where the gap has increasingly and progressively narrowed.
She narrated that in West Africa, only 15.7 percent of the average proportion of seats held by women in the national Parliaments which means the region is lacking behind other Parliaments in Africa like East Africa with 30.8 percent, Central Africa 21.7 percent, North Africa with 20.3 percent.
She however urged that there should be a conscious deliberate effort in changing the status quo of women and youth through education programmes that will boost the knowledge and skills of women and youth in the civic engagement, politics, leadership and public speaking through mentorship and networking opportunities.
She advocated for special seats to be dedicated to women and youth to increase the numbers, noting that “this might not be something we like to hear, out various governments will not like to hear it but one of the measures which we can use to increase the participation of women is to dedicate special seats to increase representation of women and youths in political positions especially in parliament to inspire and encourage more women and young people in politics.” In her goodwill message, the Country Representative of UN Women, Beatrice Eyong thanked the Speaker for giving a budget for the activities of ECOFEPA. She emphasized the point of low representation of women in politics stating that the domination of the political space by one gender cannot continue to be encouraged especially with the increase number of women and youth in the region.