FRC has operated without board for 13 years, Tinubu’s nominee tells senate

President Bola Tinubu’s nominee for chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), Abdullahi Saidu, has told senators that the commission has operated without a board for more than 13 years, a situation he said has undermined its ability to discharge its statutory responsibilities effectively.

Saidu disclosed this on Thursday during the screening of nominees for the commission’s board by the Senate Committee on Finance, where he called for stronger legal powers and institutional support to improve the agency’s performance.

In July, Tinubu nominated Saidu as chairman, alongside Muhammad Asma’u, Muhammad Makama, Suleiman Gidado, Louis Ndukwe, Amechi Ugwele and Olaniyi Onikola as board members.

Saidu previously served on the board of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), following his appointment by former President Muhammadu Buhari on February 4, 2019, and reappointment on March 15, 2023.

Saidu seeks stronger powers for FRC

Speaking during the screening, Saidu said the absence of a board had weakened the commission’s institutional structure, adding that the incoming board would have to rebuild its capacity if confirmed.

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“The commission has been without a board for more than 13 years now. So now this board, it’s like we are virtually going to start all over because there was nothing in place,” he said.

He disclosed that the commission, which was expected to establish offices across the country’s six geopolitical zones, currently operates only from Abuja.

The nominee pledged to work with the National Assembly and other stakeholders to review the law establishing the commission and strengthen its independence and operational capacity.

“I am assuring that, if we go in, we will work hard to liaise with the National Assembly to see how we are going to strengthen the Act, which will empower us to do our work independently and effectively,” he said.

Saidu also lamented that the commission lacked prosecutorial powers, explaining that it could investigate alleged violations but had to forward its findings to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for prosecution.

“Because right now, we cannot do anything. We don’t have prosecution power; we don’t have any power,” he said.

“We were told we can only investigate and send our report to the honourable Attorney-General and Minister of Justice for prosecution.”

FRC targets revenue leakages

The nominee further pledged to strengthen the monitoring of operating surpluses generated by government-owned and other scheduled organisations to improve revenue remittances to the Federal Government.

According to Saidu, some revenue-generating organisations fail to remit the appropriate share of their operating surpluses to the government.

He explained that such organisations were expected to remit 80 per cent of their operating surpluses to the Consolidated Revenue Fund while retaining the remaining 20 per cent for their operations.

“Because the commission is not informed, so they just declare whatever they feel they want to declare,” he said.

Saidu promised that, if confirmed, the board would improve oversight of operating surpluses and ensure that relevant organisations complied with applicable remittance requirements.

He also pledged to examine revenue practices among agencies fully funded through the national budget.

“If we are given an opportunity and we are confirmed, we will monitor that operating revenue properly,” he stated.

The nominee expressed confidence that the commission’s performance could improve within a year if the board received the necessary support from the National Assembly and other stakeholders.

(The Cable)