The Fiscal Responsibility Commission is set to launch a financial accountability awareness campaign in three different geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The campaign is aimed at enhancing financial accountability at the subnational level, focusing on states in the South-South, South-East, and North-Central regions.
The sensitization series will kick off with a two-day retreat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, starting from Monday, 2nd September to Wednesday, 4th September 2024. Subsequent retreats are planned for Owerri, Imo State, and Minna, Niger State, later in the month.
The theme of these retreats will be ‘Strengthening Financial Accountability at Subnational Levels,’ as highlighted by the Head of the Strategic Communications Directorate at the FRC. The initiative aims to promote financial transparency and responsibility within state governments, particularly in finance, economic planning, and budgeting.
The retreats will feature a lineup of experts, including senior judicial officers, economists, chartered accountants, and fiscal analysts. Participants will include state commissioners, senior civil servants from relevant ministries, accountant-generals, auditor-generals, and heads of fiscal commissions from the states.
Key dignitaries expected at the retreats include the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, and the governors of the host states, who will deliver keynote addresses.
The retreats will feature presentations on strengthening oversight, unbundling the Fiscal Responsibility Act, and deepening budget transparency. Discussions will be followed by a panel session and audience engagement, culminating in the adoption of a communiqué at each retreat.
The FRC is dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and transparency at all government levels, with these retreats playing a crucial role in fulfilling that mission. Attendees from the South-South zone states will receive certificates of participation at the end of the Port Harcourt retreat.
After the South-South retreat, the campaign will proceed to the South-East and North-Central geopolitical zones later in September.