Niger State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has not hidden his desire to efficiently and effectively manage the resources of the state, especially in the face of the challenging economic situation and the paucity of funds that have hit the states in Nigeria owing to the dwindling revenue from the federation account.In view of this realization, the Niger governor has been emphatic about adopting workable mechanism aimed at making sure that the finances of the state are well organized for a worthwhile value. He has also been firm in his resolution to block financial leakages and also ensure that the states receipts and expenditures are tailored toward best practices that eschew corruption and sharp practices.The Governor gave that much when he presented the 2016 budget to the state House of Assembly and formerly announced the desire of his administration to operate Treasury Single Account (TSA) in this fiscal year.During the Budget presentation, Bello said, The management of the meagre resources of the State will be a priority. In this regard, areas of leakages and wastages will be identified and blocked accordingly. The Treasury Single Account (TSA) will become operational in the year.I must emphasis that this Administration has zero tolerance for corruption, he added, while emphasizing that proven cases of corruption would be dealt with accordingly for effective management of the states resources.Sequel to the pronouncement of the governor, the Ministry of Finances top officials had in early March 2016 held a meeting with all Accountants, Auditors, Cashiers and other drivers of the finances of the state on the governments planned operation of a decentralized Treasury Single Account (TSA).The Ministrys top officials led by the Commissioner, Alhaji Balarabe Ibrahim; Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Zakeri Abubakar and the Accountant General, Alhaji Saidu Abdullahi took turns to answer questions from the accountants on the new policy.While directing the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply by opening one single operational account or risk sanction, the officials were very clear about the importance of the TSA to the state in terms of financial management. The Commissioner of Finance Ibrahim Balarabe stated that the MDAs will be allowed to have only one operational account that will be mirrored through the state TSA.He said the government has decided to implement the decentralized TSA to block leakages and strengthen all financial dealings by making sure that no finance is left idling in the state amidst paucity of funds.Balarabe stated that the new system called for share responsibility among financial players, ranging from the chief accountants, internal auditors to the cashiers in the state because government will not tolerate manipulation of the process by any of the players.The Commissioner, while answering questions from the accountants and auditor at the meeting, stated that the accounts that will be exempted in the new arrangement were accounts that counterpart funding are being operated because it has partners who often times operate in foreign currency.He stated that such accounts were already joint account that have in built mechanisms to check leakages and other associated vices, adding that because of the information Technology (IT) level of the state, the government decided to start with a decentralized TSA.We will start with decentralization of the TSA; if the IT improves, we will start the centralized system. We dont want you to keep idle money; you request for the money with urgency and then leave the money idle in your MDAs; it is not good for the state, he stated .Consequently to drive the process effectively the Niger state Government through the Ministry of finance later engaged a private firm to drive the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA).In an era where private firms are engaged for such ventures with huge sums of Money, it came as a surprise to many when it was announced at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that the states obligation to the firm in monetary terms is just N45 million.The Firm, Global infoswift is expected in turn to facilitate the selection of the payment gateway and payment gateway service provider for implementation of the TSA in the state, even as it is also expected to facilitate selection of Enterprise Resource planning (ERP) to be integrated with the selected payment gateway and keeping of the states financial records and transactions as well as generation of the state financial statement in line with best practices .By the MoU also the firm is expected to work with the state government to automate its entire financial management system and payment processes using the world renowned prince 2 project management methodology at every phase of the projects.With the realization of having the needed man power with the know-how to stimulate the process, it was contained in the MoU that the global infoswift will work with the state to arrange and organize stakeholders engagements during the course of the projects, whereas Niger state nominate and release its employees to be part of the project team.The Commissioner of Finance, Ibrahim, while signing on behalf of the state government, stated that making TSA operational in the state was a landmark achievement for the government and the government was desirous of making it work for its good.He stated that the engagement of the private firm Global infoSwift was to select gateway for the implementation of the TSA in the state and leverage on areas of competence of the firm in information and communication technology required for the implementation of the project.According to him, the time frame for the firm to operate in the state and put the state on the right track for hitch free implementation of TSA was three month after which the state would have been ready to stimulate the system on its own for the TSA. This process was started at about the beginning of the second quarter, which means that by now the firm has fully stabilized the system.The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Zakeri Abubakar said it was contained in the MOU that the firm will organize training programmes for the personnel of the state to master the platform that will automate the TSA within the stipulated period.Also explaining the terms of the MOU, the Accountant general of the state, Alhaji Saidu Abdullahi stated that the firm will be expected to design a driving gateway and selection of appropriate technology for the effective implementation of TSA.The representative of the firm, Mr Adepegba Adetomiwa Charles pledged that the firm will deliver to the state the desired packages for the effective implementation of the TSA and that they will not renege in their obligations as contained in the MOU.From every indications the System has been perfected in the state and the TSA is now operational in the state, as the Commissioner of Finance said in July that the state TSA mopping funds was N424.6 million then.Whereas the amount mopped up in the TSA varies depending on the flows, it is obvious that the systems has checked tendencies of leakages and avoided waste of funds as was always the case when the TSA was not yet introduced to monitor financial flows.
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