Senator George Akume, the secretary to the government of the federation, has demanded tighter working relationships between fiscal watchdogs and oversight bodies to boost openness and ensure better stewardship of public money under President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda. He made the remarks while meeting with officials from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission in Abuja.
The commission, headed by acting executive chairman Charles Chukwuemeka Abana, visited Akume to brief him on its operations and strategic priorities.
Akume stressed that key agencies must work more closely together. He said the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Budget Office of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General, and the Debt Management Office should coordinate more effectively to cut overlapping work and sharpen fiscal control.
"I want to urge deeper collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Budget Office of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General, the Federal Debt Management Office, and other oversight institutions to eliminate duplication and strengthen fiscal governance," he said.
The secretary to the government acknowledged the commission's critical role in protecting fiscal discipline across Nigeria's three tiers of government. He noted that strong fiscal management underpins economic stability, attracts investors, keeps debt manageable, and helps government spend money wisely.
"The Fiscal Responsibility Commission occupies a strategic position in strengthening public financial management and ensuring that government resources are managed with discipline, transparency, and accountability in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda," Akume told reporters.
Abana outlined his commission's fresh priorities during the meeting. The body now focuses on making revenue reporting clearer, speeding up transfers of operating surpluses to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, and plugging money lost to inefficiency and misuse in public agencies.
He explained that the commission has stepped up its tracking of operating surpluses from state-owned enterprises and independent revenues collected by government departments. By September this year, monitored independent revenue hit approximately ₦1.84 trillion, he said.
The commission has set its sights on ₦2.5 trillion for 2026, according to Abana. The ambitious target reflects growing confidence in stricter revenue controls across the public sector.
To improve its work, the commission overhauled its Operating Surplus Calculation Template, which had remained largely unchanged since 2016. The updated version now accounts for the Finance Act of 2020 and other recent policy shifts affecting government revenue.
Abana disclosed that the template is now fully automated. The move should sharpen accuracy, reduce errors, and make compliance tracking much simpler for all involved agencies.
