FG urges state IGR boards to adhere to financial procedures

The Federal Government has urged states Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) boards to strictly adhere to all financial procedures that promotes transparency.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Mohammed Isa- Dutse, gave the advice on Friday at the ongoing three-day State and Local Governance Reform (SLOGOR) Annual Retreat on “Public Financial Management (PFM) Reforms’’ in Enugu.

Isa-Dutse, represented by Mrs Uzor Okoye, said that IGR boards must encourage orderly and systematic documentation of financial transaction and guidelines for procurement.

He said that the Federal Government in its determination to ensure transparency, accountability and value for money in the execution of donor assisted programmes in the country, established the Project Financial Management Units (PFMUs).

“The ministry has the responsibility to ensure that the implementing agencies of the PFM reforms not only effectively utilise the resources, but that the country derives the maximum benefits from them,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the SLOGOR project is funded by the European Union and managed by the World Bank.

The project which commenced in 2014 is expected to wind up on Sept. 30, 2019.

The six participating states in SLOGOR project are: Anambra, Cross River, Jigawa, Kano, Osun and Yobe.

The retreat is organised by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning in collaboration with the World Bank and European Union.

The theme of the retreat is: `Assessing the Implementation of the PFM Reforms at the Sub-National Levels of Government’’.

The retreat which started on May 2, would end on May 4.