Public finance expert and Special Adviser to Enugu State governor on Financial Matters, Prof Paschal Okolie, has called for a reorientation in the character and integrity of public servants and Nigerians with a view to fighting corruption in the nation’s public service.
Prof. Okolie made the call in Akwa, Anambra State capital, at a two-day
Audit Reporting Training workshop for journalists, organised by FrontFoot Media Initiative as part part of Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability Project under the auspices of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the sponsorship of the MacArthur Foundation.
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According to the financial expert, corruption has remained a bane despite many changes in the law and IT-driven applications for financial management in the country since 2010.
Okolie compared Nigeria to the Great Wall of China that enemies breached because of human failure in character and integrity.
He also observed that many states were yet to implement policies such as the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and the Open Government Partnership Agenda aimed at promoting accountability in public financial management.
Experts say only 15 of Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT signed up for the Open Government Partnership programme.
Okolie stated, “Evidence abounds that unless the issues of character and integrity are addressed, Nigeria will continue to be challenged by corruption
arising from deficient application of the principles and practice of auditing and prudent, transparent and accountable financial management in the
Nigerian public sector”.
He commended efforts by the federal and state governments to tackle the legal and technical challenges through enforcing financial and operational
autonomy for the office of the Auditor-General through the amendment of the Audit Law establishing the Audit Service Commission that will operate
like the Civil Service Commission and approval of ICT-driven initiatives of
IPSAS, TSA and SFTAS.
He commended efforts by the federal and state governments to tackle the legal and technical challenges through enforcing financial and operational
autonomy for the office of the Auditor-General through the amendment of the Audit Law establishing the Audit Service Commission that will operate
like the Civil Service Commission and approval of ICT-driven initiatives of IPSAS, TSA and SFTAS.
INFO DAILY reports that challenges of public sector financial management in Nigeria include poor institutional governance, manpower development issues, weak oversight, corruption, and character and integrity, according to Okolie.
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On his part, Sonala Olumhense, who spoke from the USA emphasized on the Imperative of Audit Reporting for Nigerian Journalism.
Also speaking at the workshop were FrontFoot Media Initiative chairman Sully Abu, managing director Emeka Izeze, as well as training coordinator Chido Nwakanma.
Forty-two journalists participated in the workshop and they resolved to
critically examine state audit reports and tell stories from their contents, as well as report where states contravene the law by not submitting and publishing audit reports.