MDAs opposing payment of operating surplus unpatriotic – FRC chairman

The Fiscal Responsibility Commission says it is unpatriotic for any agency scheduled to pay operating surplus into the Consolidated Revenue Fund to oppose it.
Acting Chairman of FRC, Victor Muruako, said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that the Maritime Academy, Oron, had written a letter of objection to payment of operating surplus, a situation which was unacceptable.
Muuako said: “I think it will be unfair for any agency to think that it does not owe any obligation to the Federal Government, particularly the CRF.
“If you have a peculiar issue, we look at it, but an outright objection is not acceptable and we will take it up with them, just like other agencies.’’
He said the Bank of Industry, Nigerian Maritime Academy and Bank of Agriculture had objected to being added to the schedule of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
According to him, the commission has forwarded their protests to the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, for consideration.
He said: “Some of them believe that they are already used to doing it in a way and have to continue that way but the requirement of the FRA is clear.
“It states that they must comply with the provisions of the Act, unless there is a superior legislation, but there are still some that are yet to appreciate their responsibility to the Federal Government.’’
The commission began engaging heads of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies scheduled under the FRA on February 13, with the aim of intimating them on the Federal Government’s expectation of remitting 80 per cent of their operating surplus to the CRF.
Muruako said: “This payment of operating surplus would definitely impact on the independent revenue of the Federal Government and this is the objective.
“We also feel that it is better to engage them one-on-one in meetings so that they would appreciate the enormity of the task.
“This is because we have been writing and corresponding with them but most times, some issues are best sorted out physically.’’
Muruako, however, said the FRC had so far engaged nine agencies and the result had been encouraging.
He said that a lot of the agencies were willing to cooperate but some of them were mostly ignorant of what to do.
He explained that some of the agencies were banking on the payment of 25 per cent gross revenue, while others were yet to appreciate the essence of producing their annual financial accounts on time.
He added: “On the issue of Medium Term Expenditure Framework, you hardly find any of them with it or an internal budget because we know that ordinarily, they have internal work plan.
“We will go on and engage all the 122 scheduled corporations, but we have started with the new ones.’’