Dogara;Nigeria must empower Fiscal Commission to succeed in corruption fight
The Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has said for Nigeria to truly succeed in her fight against corruption, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) must be empowered to deliver on its mandate.
Dogara who said this when he hosted the leadership and management of the Commission on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja, stressed that the battle against corruption cannot be won by chasing after manifestations of corruption instead of addressing the menace from its roots.
The Speaker after acknowledging the budgetary and capacity challenges faced by the FRC, promised to assist in resource allocation to ameliorate the funding difficulties pending a holistic empowerment measure which he said, requires an amendment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) to make the Commission better positioned to discharge its mandate.
He said: “We must put some resources at the disposal of the Commission and it is through so that it can live up to its mandate and deliver according to expectations.
There is too much emphasis on EFCC and fighting corruption after the crime has been committed and it is like chasing after symptoms while ignoring the roots; which is medicine after death. Institutions like the Fiscal Commission must be strengthened to check the menace from its very roots”.
Dogara further assured that the House of Representatives will immediately initiate an amendment of the FRA to institutionalize an empowerment of the FRC, adding that a private member bill will soon be brought up for consideration.
He lamented a situation whereby the FRC is forced to look up to organs of government it is oversighting for sustenance due to lack of adequate funding, saying it is unacceptable that the Commission is besieged by various issues including accommodation and enhanced capacity for staff.
Speaking earlier, Acting chairman of the FRC, Mr. Victor Muruako who led the delegation, listed a myriad of constraints facing the Commission and submitted that a holistic amendment of the FRA had become expedient to give fillip to the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
Muruako noted that the FRC being a baby of the National Assembly has no choice but to look up to the lawmakers to assist in strengthening its capacities towards actualizing its mandate, adding swiftly that an increase in the number of statutory corporations added to its schedule had made the burden even heavier.
He assured the Speaker and by extension, the House of Representatives of continual support in the administration’s war on corruption and prayed fervently for the issues raised to be addressed urgently.
Dogara who said this when he hosted the leadership and management of the Commission on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja, stressed that the battle against corruption cannot be won by chasing after manifestations of corruption instead of addressing the menace from its roots.
The Speaker after acknowledging the budgetary and capacity challenges faced by the FRC, promised to assist in resource allocation to ameliorate the funding difficulties pending a holistic empowerment measure which he said, requires an amendment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) to make the Commission better positioned to discharge its mandate.
He said: “We must put some resources at the disposal of the Commission and it is through so that it can live up to its mandate and deliver according to expectations.
There is too much emphasis on EFCC and fighting corruption after the crime has been committed and it is like chasing after symptoms while ignoring the roots; which is medicine after death. Institutions like the Fiscal Commission must be strengthened to check the menace from its very roots”.
He lamented a situation whereby the FRC is forced to look up to organs of government it is oversighting for sustenance due to lack of adequate funding, saying it is unacceptable that the Commission is besieged by various issues including accommodation and enhanced capacity for staff.
Speaking earlier, Acting chairman of the FRC, Mr. Victor Muruako who led the delegation, listed a myriad of constraints facing the Commission and submitted that a holistic amendment of the FRA had become expedient to give fillip to the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
Muruako noted that the FRC being a baby of the National Assembly has no choice but to look up to the lawmakers to assist in strengthening its capacities towards actualizing its mandate, adding swiftly that an increase in the number of statutory corporations added to its schedule had made the burden even heavier.
He assured the Speaker and by extension, the House of Representatives of continual support in the administration’s war on corruption and prayed fervently for the issues raised to be addressed urgently.
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