Former Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dakwambo has urged the federal government to provide legal backing for all financial reforms initiatives, particularly the Treasury Single Account (TSA) Policy in order to ensure proper implementation and sustainability.
Dakwambo who is also a former Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) argues that except reforms are catalogued and supported by legal framework, politicians can take advantage of the inherent loopholes for self gains.
He was speaking at the public presentation/launch of the book, “Treasury Single Account Policy in Nigeria”, authored by Salawu Zubairu, Director, Finance and Administration, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.
In his speech at the event, Dakwambo also highlighted the huge resistance he encountered in the course of implementation of financial reform programmes while in office as the Accountant General of the Federation.
Recounting instances where his life was threatened by those who obviously opposed change, he said: “For people like me, we had to be given extra security, like they had to change our houses, we had to be accompanied by police because of the threats over the implementation of financial reforms.”
According to him, politicians can take advantage of loose reforms to win election except such initiatives are properly ring-fenced against abuse.
“I must tell you if I want to win elections today and go out there and say if I win elections today there’s no more TSA, won’t I get their votes? But am I doing the right thing? But for me as a politician I want to win and anyhow I win, I have no problem,” he added.
The former governor therefore, challenged the incumbent AGF, Ahmed Idris to ensure that existing finance Acts are reviewed so they politicians who “come and go” do not influence them.
Speaking further, he commended both the author and Idris for documenting the TSA, which according to him remain one of the most important financial reforms so far undertaken by the treasury and urged that other similar reports should be documented in the same way.
Idris, however, said the book will among other things, help state governments in their efforts to implement the TSA.
Cynthia Egboboh, Abuja
