By Vivian Emoni

The Executive Chairman, Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), Mr Victor Muruako, has reaffirmed the commission’s commitment on transparency and accountability.

Muruako said this while receiving a delegation from Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre (SERDEC), in Abuja.

He said that such commitment would help to promote fiscal openness and responsible public financial management.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit, led by the SERDEC representatives, is part of ongoing advocacy efforts around the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

The Chairman said that the advocacy was to strengthen engagement with institutions to promoting fiscal openness and responsible public financial management.

He welcomed the initiative and expressed the commission’s readiness to collaborate with SERDEC and other relevant organisations.

He emphasised the commission’s active role in anti-corruption efforts, notably through its membership in the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reform (TUGAR).

Muruako also praised President Bola Tinubu’s fiscal reforms and expressed full support for the push toward Local Government Autonomy.

He said that the local government officials must first be trained in budgeting and fiscal responsibility to ensure effective implementation.

According to him, the FRC has a broad mandate but faces financial constraints in fulfilling its responsibilities.

He said that efforts were underway to amend the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 to enhance revenue generation into the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

He, however, assured SERDEC of the commission’s openness to partnership.

“Our collaboration machinery is ready and waiting. We look forward to working together to achieve our shared vision of open and accountable governance.

“This visit marks a significant step toward deepening civil society, government collaboration in advancing Nigeria’s fiscal governance and transparency agenda,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Tijani Abdulkareem, Executive Director, SERDEC, said that the purpose of the visit, was to explore alignment between the FRC’s mandate and OGP commitments.

According to him, the visit is to propose collaboration on fiscal transparency initiatives and present strategic recommendations to enhance the commission’s public engagement and digital innovation.

“SERDEC recognises the pivotal role FRC plays in enforcing fiscal discipline, monitoring public expenditure, and ensuring budget compliance.

“These functions directly support the goals of the OGP, especially in promoting transparency, anti-corruption and citizen participation,” he said.

He said that SERDEC had presented several advocacy points including increased public access to FRC’s reports and fiscal data in simplified formats. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman