Civil society and rights groups have criticized the Accountant General of the Federation, commissioners of finance of the 36 federation states and different authority officers for selecting to carry a workshop in the UK when the economic system is experiencing a significant downturn.
The Workplace of the AGF reportedly held a workshop on Public Monetary Administration and Worldwide Public Sector Accounting Requirements in London, UK.
Findings confirmed that the workshop was held at Copthorne Tara Lodge, Kensington, London, from March 4 to March 9, 2024.
The workshop, titled “Public Monetary Administration and IPSAS,” introduced collectively state commissioners of finance and officers from the Workplace of the Accountant-Normal of the Federation.
Over five days, members discussed IPSAS and its effect on accountability.
The workshop delved into other vital areas, such as accounting and reporting in a hyperinflationary economic system and the challenges confronted in implementing public monetary administration in Nigeria. Finance implementation challenges were additionally mentioned.
Nigeria is grappling with a persistent international alternate disaster, worsening the challenges confronted by companies, particularly producers. This disaster has been extended, stemming from the federal government’s selection to remove petrol subsidies and permit the naira to drift.
The nation is battling with excessive inflation that has eroded the buying energy of customers, other than food scarcity that has led to starvation protests in pockets of the state.
As part of his cost-cutting strategy, President Bola Tinubu recently lowered the size of his entourage and inspired his group to do the same.
As a part of the UK workshop actions, members had the chance to go to the Nigerian Excessive Commissioner in London. The classes commenced every day at 10:00 am and concluded at 2:30 pm, with members departing for his or her respective locations on March 9, 2023.
Nevertheless, some Nigerians and rights teams have criticised the AGF and the commissioners for being insensitive to the nation’s temper, saying such a workshop ought to have been held throughout the nation to save lots of prices.
A human rights group, the Worldwide Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, described the journey embarked upon by the Workplace of the AGF as unnecessary and a waste of the nation’s monetary resources.
The group’s chancellor, Jackson Omenazu, informed Foxiz NIGERIA on Wednesday that the decision to manoeuvre about 36 members of the company’s implementation committee, who are additionally commissioners of finance for the 36 states to London, confirmed how insensitive the general public servants have been to the nation’s financial plight.
“That is the peak of economic recklessness and insensitivity to Nigeria’s financial state of affairs at present. If it’s a workshop, as they’ve claimed, the accountant can attend the workshop and be available again to duplicate the information right here to the opposite commissioners,” he stated.
Jackson added that the journey was utterly pointless and wasteful.
He stated, “It is pointless for him to travel with the 36 commoners of finance. Looking at the price of the trip and the financial state Nigeria has discovered itself in, there isn’t any prudence in such a choice. We want public servants who will understand this nation’s state of affairs and salvage the country.
“It’s cheaper to deliver the facilitators to Nigeria to coach the members wanting on the excessive alternate charge. The accountant common and the approving company accredited the journey must be cautioned.”
The Chairman of the Centre for Anti-corruption and Open Management and the President of the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights, Debo Adeniran, stated it was necessary to know the content material of the programs the OAGF and his group had travelled to London to establish if they have been available within the nation.
Whereas he didn’t scold the accountant every day for the journey, he stated that the accountant ought to have embraced a less expensive choice of ‘coaching the trainers’ the place if obligatory solely few principal officers of the company would journey for the coaching and return to coach others.
“Figuring out whether or not the journey was frivolous depends upon the supply and accessibility of the programs they travelled for in Nigeria. The world is a world village, and we wish to know if the course will be readily assessed online nationwide. Nevertheless, to save lots of the price of international alternate wanted to journey to London, it could have been cheaper to go for ‘coaching of the trainers’ relying on the establishment’s mobility,” he stated
Nevertheless, the Director of Press on the Workplace of the AGF, Bawa Mokwa, defended the journey and explained the reasoning behind hosting the workshop on the Internet in the UK.
In a dialog with Foxiz NIGERIA on Wednesday, he emphasised that the workshop was an annual occasion often held.
In line with him, the occasion was held in London. As a result, the facilitators are primarily based in the UK.
He additionally acknowledged that the Nationwide Financial Council accredited the occasion.
“It’s an annual occasion. The OAGF members current on the assembly are sub-committees of the Federal Allocation Account Committee. Members of the implementation committee are commissioners of finance of the 36 states,” he stated.
“They often go to the UK to do it yearly, and as a result of the useful resource individuals are resident within the UK, they usually implement it to the letter,” he added.
Additionally, an economist at Lotus Beta Analytics, Shadrach Israel, stated it was not economically sensible to spend the nation’s scarce foreign exchange on such travels, noting that the AGF should have both opted for a digital examination for the group.
“The federal government has stated it is going to reduce the value of governance; however, what has occurred is opposite to the initiative of lowering the price of governance. We live in a digital world. Do folks must journey to workshops? Essentially, they don’t have to travel to be educated.
“The issue with most of our government companies is that they use extra funds for recurrent expenditures as a substitute for capital.
“It’s not economically sensible to move such a large number of people to London to-and-fro, wanting on the excessive alternate charge. We should do all we can to make the naira increase its worth,” he stated.
Connect With Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Telegram | WhatsApp Channel | Quora
