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By Daniel Adaji
The Executive Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), Victor Muruako, has expressed strong support for the involvement of civil society organisations (CSOs) in budget oversight, describing it as key to promoting transparency and accountability in public financial management.
“Our collaboration machinery is ready and waiting. We look forward to working together to achieve our shared vision of open and accountable governance,” Muruako said during an advocacy visit by the Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre (SERDEC) to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
Led by its Executive Director, Tijani Abdulkareem, the SERDEC delegation visited as part of efforts under the Open Government Partnership (OGP) to strengthen collaboration with government institutions involved in fiscal governance.
During the visit, SERDEC proposed several areas of collaboration, including increased public access to FRC reports in simplified formats, regular civil society engagement forums, joint public education on budgeting, and grassroots tracking of budget implementation.
“SERDEC recognizes the pivotal role FRC plays in enforcing fiscal discipline, monitoring public expenditure, and ensuring budget compliance. These functions directly support the goals of the OGP, especially in promoting transparency, anti-corruption, and citizen participation,” Abdulkareem said.
In response, Muruako welcomed the proposals and emphasised the Commission’s commitment to joint initiatives that enhance openness in government.
He pointed to FRC’s ongoing participation in the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reform (TUGAR) as evidence of its commitment.
He also praised President Bola Tinubu’s fiscal reforms and declared full support for Local Government autonomy, but added a word of caution, “Local government officials must first be trained in budgeting and fiscal responsibility to ensure effective implementation.”
Muruako acknowledged that while the Commission has a wide mandate, financial limitations hinder its operations.
“The Commission has a broad mandate but faces financial constraints in fulfilling its responsibilities,” he said.
Efforts are underway, he noted, to amend the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 to enhance revenue inflow into the Consolidated Revenue Fund.