The Senate Committee on Finance has expressed dissatisfaction with the Fiscal Responsibility Commission’s (FRC) perennially low funding. Chairman of the committee, Shehu Musa, said this during the commission’s 2025 fiscal year budget defence, highlighting the irony of the underfunding of a commission that is charged with ensuring and enforcing revenue remittances into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

In his presentation, the Chairman of the FRC, Victor Muruako, outlined a proposed budget of N1.6 billion for the commission, which he said was insufficient to fulfil its extensive mandate.

He also raised concerns about the need to increase staff wages, noting that many employees have left for other agencies with better pay structures. He said additional requests included increased capital funding to improve revenue generation and a push for the amendment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 which had already undergone a public hearing in the ninth legislative Assembly.

A statement by the Head of Strategic Communications Directorate of FRC, Bede Anyanwu, said members of the finance committee supported the call for improved funding and enhanced salary packages for the FRC, emphasizing the importance of adequately equipping the commission to perform its critical functions effectively.

The committee also assured the Commission of the commitment of the National Assembly to ensure that the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) amendment was accomplished to strengthen compliance by government-owned enterprises (GOEs) and improve transparency and accountability in public finance management.