Reforms to aid Efficiency in Financial Management- AGF – PRNigeria News

Reforms to aid Efficiency in Financial
Management- AGF
The Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris FCNA stated
that the reform initiatives all over the world are aimed at
improving governance for efficiency and effectiveness.

He made this assertion when the Director General of
Bureau of Public Service Reform (BPSR) Mr. Dasuki Arabi and his
Management team paid a courtesy visit to the Treasury House,
Abuja.

Ahmed congratulated Mr.. Dasuki Arabi on his
appointment as the Director-General of BPSR and that under his
leadership, he has carried out good reforms in the Public Service,
for him OAGF and BPSR have a common goal of making Nigeria change
for better. According to him reform initiatives is to move away
from old ways of doing things to a modern way.

AGF acknowledged the various reform drives of the
Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation which include
but not limited to; Treasury Single Account (TSA), International
Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS), implementation of
Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS), Audit
modernization and Government Integrated Financial Management System
(GIFMIS).

The Audit modernization is aimed at making Audit more
scientific by moving from analogue to a more digitized way of
Auditing. This is a departure from the old ways of file transfer
and Audit record check in the usual conventional analogue form, he
added.

Therefore, the next level of Audit checking is ready,
the department has well trained staff, web based Audit laboratory
filled with computers.

Ahmed Idris appreciated the Director-General of BPSR
in grading the OAGF 90% in ranking for their reform initiatives and
their zeal to do more, he promised to explore other areas that
would benefit both Agencies because the office clearly understand
its mandate in reform initiatives. ‘’ Being a coordinating Agency,
BPSR would face challenges in the course of the reforms hence OAGF
is ever ready to cooperate and partner with them in capacity
building and training’’ he stated.

In his remarks, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, Director-General of
BPSR thanked  the AGF for posting a Director of Finance and
Accounts to BPSR who has through his experience turned around the
accounting system in BPSR and above all, the Financial Autonomy
given to the BPSR by AGF Ahmed Idris FCNA.

Dasuki said that due to the need for a one-stop shop
where reform information can be obtained, BPSR was set up in 2004
to serve as engine room and center for coordination of reforms
among the MDAs, stating that there were pockets of reforms being
carried out in different MDAs before BPSR came on board.

He stated that, BPSR has a Steering Committee on
Reform chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation
and assisted by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and
other members which include Accountant-General of the
Federation.

Director-General of BPSR said that the main role of
the Steering Committee is to guide BPSR to do better, adding that
members of the committee are heads of centers and key agencies of
Government that have a lot to do in reforms. According to him,
‘’the reports of the activities are given to the Steering Committee
for validation, approval, and corrections hence, members are
expected to send memos and progress reports on the various reforms
initiatives in their MDAs.’’

Esther Okoro (IO1)

For Deputy Director Press & Public Relations