IGR: Think outside the box,  Reps C’ttee, Akpabio task MDAs

Jonas Ezieke and Adekunle Adesuji, Abuja

Time is very ripe for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government, irrespective of mandates, to start thinking outside the box in raising internally generated revenue (IGR) to augment the Consolidated Revenue Fund, if only to cover their running costs.

Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Hon Saidu Musa Abdullahi threw the challenge on Tuesday in continuation of interaction with the MDAs on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework MTEF prior to the commencement of the implementation of the 2024 budget.
Abdullahi tasked the apex military training institution in the country, the National Defence College, to, inspite of the uniqueness of its mandate, explore available windows open to it to rake in money into the CRF.
This, according to him, the NDC can do by starting to charge appropriate fees for military officers and others that patronise the college from outside the country.
The Committee had earlier been told by the Commandant of the NDC that top military brass from West African countries, the Filipines, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Germany have slots for regular trainings at the elite training institution.
Abdullahi said that if Nigeria military officers that go on training outside the country, in most cases are charged fees, nothing stops the Defence College from applying same to trainees from outside the country.
“The bottom line of MDAs earning Internally Generated Revenue IGR is in line with the present realities of dwindling government revenue needed to fund her budget.
“Emphasis on this is not just making money, but inculcating judicious expenditure of the percentage the law permits you to spend of your IGR, depending on whether your Department is fully funded by government or not.
He cautioned that in the quest of making money, MDAs should be conscious of their core mandates and not jeopardise standards.
At the end of a session with the National Universities Commission, NUC also yesterday, Rep Abdullahi ruled that the Commission should reconcile its mandate account over the past three years with the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, with a view to paying into the CRF, what the deputy’s to chairman referred to as established financial infractions.
The Deputy Executive Secretary NUC had told the the committee that its only source of IGR was from payment of rents on its properties, on which the NUC remits 25% into the CRF.
The Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Hon. Said Musa Abdullahi who presided over Tuesday’s session pointed out error in NUC’s decision you remit 25% of its IGR into government coffers, instead of the approved 100% as contained in the latest circular.
Abdullahi noted that as a fully funded agency of government the law stipulates that 100% of any IGR by it must be paid into that CRF of government.

Seenate tasks MDAs on revenue generation

Meanwhile, the Senate has tasked agencies of government to stretch their revenue target to generate more funds for the federal government to finance the N27.5 trillion 2024 budget of Renewed Hope
Meanwhile, the Red chamber has threatened Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government who fail to show up for budget defense risk zero budgetary allocation for the fiscal year
The president of the Senate Godswill Akpabio who was represented by Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jubril said this at a one-day retreat organized by the senate committee on appropriations, with over 100 agencies of government in attendance, civil society organisations as well as relevant stakeholders.
The theme for the retreat is “Budget and Budgetary Processes: Delivering Improved Outcome of 2024 Appropriation Bill”
At the stakeholders’ retreat , Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun in his submission again raised concerns that with all the shocks the world has suffered ranging from COVID19, Russia – Ukraine war Nigeria’s fiscal space is exhausted.
He stressed that the country’s budget shows that there is room for privatization, and maximizing the nation’s assets without borrowing
Akpabio warned that the National Assembly will not tolerate lackadaisical attitude from government
functionaries in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies in relation to budget defence given the resolve to maintain Janunary to December budget cycle.
He added that the move is to ensure an all-inclusive budget process for greater national good and achieve the nation’s commitment to Janunary – December budget cycle.
Akpabio urged stakeholders to be , honest and factual in their deliberations, saying that there is need to understand that Nigeria has a common goal, which is to drastically improve socio-economic condition of the people in the shortest period with the budget of renewed hope.
Ayo Tariba, a resource person and an economist from University of Ibadan, who delivered a short lecture on identification of processes to guide the desired achievement in 2024 budget said efforts should be tailored on leveraging on non-tax revenue, asset revenue generation, with specific areas to attract foreign direct investments to increase revenue streams to the nation.