The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has said the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in the State will boost revenue, enhance transparency and strengthen accountability across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as serve as a strategic tool to drive holistic development.
Governor Eno, during an engagement with revenue officers and key stakeholders of the various MDAs in Uyo, explained that the TSA will help shore up internally generated revenue, eliminate leakages and provide empirical data to support planning and other development initiatives.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the existing revenue collection framework, the Governor frowned at the practice where MDAs expend revenues they generate while still receiving monthly imprest from government.
“Our revenue collection drive and system has not been very effective. We have invested a lot of time reviewing our systems since coming into office, and these are the efforts people do not see compared to the physical structures.”
Highlighting gains from the ongoing reforms, Governor Eno revealed that over 2,000 ghost workers were uncovered within the State Civil Service through a digital verification exercise.
He noted that with the reviewed system, the State currently deploys a digital platform that enables civil servants and political appointees to carry out self-verification and access payroll information through their mobile devices using their identity numbers.
The Governor explained that under the TSA regime, collection costs and operational funds will be processed through an automated system to ensure standardization and eliminate abuse.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Emem Bob, described the TSA initiative as a major public financial management reform under the present administration.
Mr Bob noted that the administration has cleared inherited commercial bank debts of N39.831 billion, paid almost N80 billion in gratuity arrears, out of the inherited backlog of N111 billion since 2012, maintained over 80 percent budget performance, ensurd prompt salary payments, among others.
He explained that the engagement was designed to address stakeholders’ concerns and agree on modalities for the remittance of operational funds to revenue-generating MDAs and institutions.
The State Accountant General, Pastor Uwem Andrew-Essien, expressed satisfaction with the innovation in financial management and assured stakeholders that anticipated bottlenecks had been resolved to guarantee a seamless transition.
On his part, the Deputy Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr Kufreabasi Edidem, applauded the Governor for institutionalizing a sustainable digital revenue system,noting that the TSA was long overdue to curb financial irregularities while strengthening audit processes.
In a remark, Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Dr. Itorobong Etim, described the TSA as evidence of the Governor’s commitment not only to his administration but to the long-term financial stability of the State.
The highpoint of the event was a detailed presentation on the State’s remittance platform, AkwaRemit, by the Commissioner for Science and Digital Economy, Dr. Frank Ekpenyong, outlining operational guidelines and compliance expectations under the TSA framework.
