ADHERENCE TO RULES AND REGULATIONS IN ENHANCING EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE IN OSUN STATE.
BY
DR. ABEL ABIODUN AKINTARO
FORMER PERMANENT SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF FINANCE, ECONOMIC PLANNING AND BUDGET, OSUN STATE.
BEING A PAPER PRESENTED AT THE YEAR 2025 PUBLIC SERVICE LECTURE ORGANIZED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF MOSES INAOLAJI ABOABA TRUST FOUNDATION (MIATF).
ALL PROTOCOLS DULY OBSERVED
I am delighted to be here today to deliver a Paper at the Year 2025 Public Service Lecture organized by the Board of Trustees of Moses Inaolaji Aboaba Trust Foundation (MIATF). First and foremost, I wish to express my gratitude to the Chairman and other members of the Board of Trustees of Moses Inaolaji Aboaba Trust Foundation (MIATF) for extending an invitation to me as one of the guest speakers at this year’s Public Service Lecture. It is also my honour and privilege to stand before this august assembly comprising the political functionaries. top career functionaries in the Osun State Public Service, members of the Forum of retired heads of service and permanent secretaries, directors serving and retired, deputy directors serving and retired, and other categories of public officers, to present a paper at this ceremony.
For the avoidance of doubt, the theme of the Year 2025 Public Service Lecture is, ‘Adherence to rules and regulations as a means of enhancing effectiveness and efficiency in public administration and governance. We are all here to rub minds together on the theme of this year’s Public Service Lecture whose main aim is to create awareness on the importance of adherence to rules, regulations and laws as a vehicle for enhancing effectiveness and efficiency in public service delivery, curb corruption and guaranty equity in the system. The objective of this Seventh Annual Lecture in Osun State Public Service is in consonance with the avowed commitment of the Foundation since its establishment a few years ago to continue to contribute by means of Annual Public Service Lecture to the growth and development of Osun State Public Service with the ultimate goal of increased productivity and better life for the entire citizens of the State.
This paper is expected to highlight the rules and regulations guiding financial matters in Osun State Public Service, and also discuss the importance of adherence to such rules and regulations. Within the context of this lecture, this paper will particularly address issues relating to Budget Call Circular (BCC), budget formulation, implementation, monitoring, authorization of the House of Assembly, its oversight functions, Public Accounts Committee, Consolidated Revenue Fund Charges (CRFC), award of contracts, Fund Allocation Committee and other matters that will benefit the system.
As you are all aware, effective and efficient Public Financial Management (PFM) is the cornerstone of a well-functioning Public Service, enabling governments to deliver essential services, promote economic growth and ensure accountability to the citizens. The prudent management of public finances through the instrumentality of the annual budget is critical in addressing the complex challenges of poverty reduction, inequality and climate change, while also fostering trust and confidence in government. Weaknesses in Public Financial Management (PFM) can lead to fiscal instability, corruption and inefficient allocation of resources, ultimately undermining the achievement of state or national development goals. This therefore means that achieving effective and efficient public financial management in the public service is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity, as it enables government to optimize resource allocation utilization, enhance service delivery and promotes sustainable development.
It is an indisputable fact that the rules and the institutional frameworks to attain this ideal are already put in place in the Osun State Public Service. However, achieving the ideals of good governance with zero tolerance for corruption is not impossible if the political office holders and the career public servants at all levels in the Osun State Public Service can ensure complete adherence to the provisions of the extant rules, regulations and Laws such as the Public Service Rules, 2011, Osun State Financial Regulations, 2009, Osun State Budget Manual, 2023, State of Osun Cash Management Strategy, the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as mended, Laws of Osun State and particularly the Public Administration Law, cap.133. the State of Osun Fiscal Responsibility Law, 2012, State of Osun Public Financial Management Law, 2020, Public Procurement Law, 2024 as amended etc.
At this juncture, before discussing the rules regulating Public Financial Management (PFM) in the Osun State Public Service, I wish to briefly examine the concept of rules and regulations. What is a rule and regulation. Why do we need rules and regulations in the management of public affairs? Why must we adhere to rules and regulations? In response to these questions, we can define rules and regulations as established guidelines or standard that govern behavior within the context of an organization, community or society. Rules are frameworks for ensuring consistency, fairness and order and are often enforced through penalties, sanctions or incentives. Hood (1991), in his Article titled: ‘Public Administration for All Seasons’ defines rules and regulations as standardized prescriptions or proscriptions laid down by some authority. According to him, rules and regulations can take various forms including laws, administrative regulations and organizational policies. Peters (2001) also defines rules and regulations as the formal structures and processes that govern the behavior of individuals and organizations within the public sector. According to them, rules and regulations serve the following purposes, among other things:
i. Rules and regulations help in coordinating the actions of different individuals and organizations within the public sector;
ii. They provide means for controlling the behavior of public officials and ensuring accountability.
Iii. Rules and regulations promote consistency in decision making and actions across different context and overtimes.
Against this background, an attempt is made in this Paper to highlight the formal rules and regulations guiding Public Financial Management particularly the annual budget in Osun State Public Service. Obviously, it may not be possible due to time constraint to highlight all the rules and regulations within the context of this lecture. However, efforts will be made to discuss the salient ones from the perspective of the budget cycle. As you are aware, the budget cycle involves the following phases:
i Budget conception or budget conceptualization phase;
ii. Budget formulation or budget preparation phase;
iii. Budget authorization phase;
iv. Budget implementation or execution phase;
and v Budget evaluation phase.
Budget conception or conceptualization phase. This is the first and very important phase of the budget cycle. It is the phase where necessary foundation is laid for the formulation and preparation of another year's budget. All the step by step guidelines or activities contained in the Osun State Government Budget Manual at this stage with specific timelines are designed to help the state government or the policy makers produce an annual budget that is credible, comprehensive and transparent. Some of such activities with the specific timelines are as highlighted:
i. Annual sector performance review--- March to May
ii. Preparation of Economic Fiscal Update/Fiscal Strategy Paper/Budget Policy Statement- May to June
iii. Submission of Economic Fiscal Update/ Fiscal Strategy Paper/Budget Policy Statement and updated Medium Term Sectoral Strategy to the State Executive Council for Review and Approval- July
iv. Presentation of the documents in items ii and iii to House of Assembly and Political Engagement- July
v. Stakeholders Consultation- Ministries/Departments and Agencies of Government, Civil Societies Organisations and other stakeholders -July
These guidelines and processes preparatory to budget formulation can be conceptualized as rules and regulations or policy guidelines which must be complied with to ensure credibility, transparency and accountability in the budget formulation process.
I wish to state equivocally that the activities during the budget conception or budget conceptualization phase some of which are outlined above are supported by subsidiary legislations such as the Osun State Financial Regulations, 2009, the Osun State Budget Manual, 2023 and the relevant provisions of the State of Osun Public Financial Management Law, 2020. Section 26(9) of the Osun Sate Public Financial Management Law, 2020 spells out the activities at the budget conception or budget conceptualization phase as follows:
i. review of the previous year’s Budget for the purposes of determining the performance in terms of achieved objectives to guide future projection;
ii. the articulation of macro-economic framework;
iii. Inter-ministerial meeting with Ministries of Finance (now Ministries of Economic Planning, Budget and Development, Human Resources and Capacity Building and other relevant MDAs;
iv. the articulation of Medium Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) and Medium Term Fiscal Strategy (MTFS) of Ministries, Departments and Agencies;
v. the forecasting of the amount of total revenue and expenditure for the financial year as well as the determination of the envelope to be allocated to each ministry/ department and agency
The Budget preparation phase
The Budget preparation phase normally commences in July every year with the issuance of the Budget Call Circular (BCC). The Budget Call Circular (BCC) is usually issued by the Budget Office or in the case of Osun State by Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development to all Agencies of Government in the State. The Budget Call Circular (BCC) is a subsidiary legislation which must be complied with by all Ministries/Departments and Agencies in the State Public Service. It is expected to provide comprehensive information or guidelines to Agencies of Government as to how they are to prepare their budget proposals with specific timelines for submission to the coordinating agency. It normally contains each agency’s budget envelope or ceiling derived from the MediumTerm Expenditure Framework (MTEF). One of the major rules under budget preparation phase is timeliness of budget preparation and submission of advance proposals by the respective agencies of government to the Budget coordinating agency. All MDAs must work within the time- frame specified in the Budget Call Circular. The essence of adherence to the rule here is to ensure that the budgetary process which include preparation, submission to the House of Assembly and approval is completed before the end of each financial as contained in the principal legislation which is the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. Another important rule that must be strictly adhered to is as stated below:
The budget proposals of each agency of government must be prepared in line with the required formats using the appropriate Budget Codes to upload budget in the State Integrated Financial Management Information System (SIFMIS). This is a standing order which must be adhered to. Non-adherence to this rule will critically undermine the entire budget preparation process.
It is impressive to note and to say that all activities involved in the budget preparation phase or stage are statutory requirements. Section 26(b) of the State of Osun Public Financial Management Law,2020 states that budget preparation shall include:
i. A call circular issued to articulate Government goals and objectives for the particular financial year as well as stating the criteria expected to be applied in preparing the budget.
ii. The receipt and collation of agencies’ proposals i.e by the Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development.
iii. The holding of bilateral discussions/ Pre-Treasury and Treasury Board meetings and
iv. Collation and consolidation of the proposals by the Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development.
v. Section 26(c) i and ii of the same Law also confirms the need to submit the Budget proposals for the consideration and approval of the State Executive Council and subsequently recommends the submission of same for consideration and approval of the House of Assembly.
It is evident from the above that the processes involved at the budget formulation stage are legal processes. Apart from the State of Osun Public Financial Management Law, 2020 which prescribes the processes involved in budget preparation stage in the Osun State Public Service, there are other subsidiary legislations like Cap. 133 of the Laws of Osun State, the Osun Government Financial Regulations, the Osun State Budget Manual and the Treasury Circular which have relevant provisions on budget preparation. This presupposes that all guidelines on Budget preparation in the Osun State Public Service in these subsidiary legislations should be held sacrosanct. Contravention by any agency of government is tantamount to an abuse of the system.
THE TREASURY BOARD
I like to make a little remark on the Treasury Board. First of all, I want to commend the Executive Governor of the State, Senator Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke for resuscitating the Treasury Board meeting which was replaced with Bilateral Discussion by the last two Administrations in the State. It is to be noted that the Treasury Board is a creation of the Public Administration Cap. 133 of the Laws of Osun State. It spells out the composition of the Board which is presided over by the Governor, Part of the issues contained in the law are issues relating to estimates, Investment among other things. The primary responsibility of the Treasury Board is to ensure that the draft budget of each Sector/ MDAs is within the ceilings provided in the Budget Call Circular and are consistent with the objectives provided in the State Development Plan/Medium Term Sectoral Strategies(MTSS) The resuscitation of the Board is in order and should be allowed to stay. The current composition which is highlighted here is also in order:
i. The Executive governor of the State - Chairman
ii. The Deputy Governor - Member
iii. Chairman House Committee
iv. on Appropriation Member
v. Th Secretary to the State Government - Member
vi. The Chief of Staff to the Governor - Member
vii. The Hon. Commissioner for MEPBD - Member
viii. The Hon. Commissioner for Finance - Member
ix. The Hon. Commissioner HRCB - Member
x. The Hon. Commissioner for Justice- Member
xi. The Permanent Secretary MEPBD – Member
xii. The Permanent Secretary, Finance - Member
xiii. The Permanent Secretary, Human Resources
and Capacity Building Member
xiv. The Accountant General Member
xv. The Chairman, Board of Internal Revenue Service - Member
xvi. The Statistician General Member
xvii. Director General Debt Management Office - Member
xviii. General Manager PPA - Member
xix. Director Planning MEPBD - Member
xx. Director of Budget MEPBD - Secretary. After the
Authorisation Phase/ Approval Stage
This is the stage where the Draft Budget after the consideration and approval of the State Executive Council is submitted to the House of Assembly for authorization The presentation of the following Year’s Draft Budget to the House of Assembly or to the National Assembly is a constitutional requirement. Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states: ‘The President shall cause to prepared and laid before each House of the National Assembly at any time in each financial year estimates of the revenues and expenditure of the Federation for the next financial year’. This section mandates the President to present the budget to the National Assembly which comprises the Senate and the House of Representatives for consideration and approval. In like manner, Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution states: The Governor of a state shall cause to be prepared and laid before the House of Assembly of the State at any time in each financial year estimates of the revenues and the expenditure of the State for the next financial year. The standard practice or the rule presently is for the Governor or the President as the case may be to present the next financial year Budget to the Parliament at least six weeks prior to the end of the fiscal year. This is to provide the Parliament ample opportunity to scrutinize it thoroughly and ensure that it complies with the goals and objectives of the State as enshrined in the State Development Plan. After close and thorough scrutiny the Parliament will pass the Appropriation Bill submitted by the Governor into Law. The authorization of the House Assembly must be given before the last of the year and presented same to the Governor for assent.
Budget Execution or Implementation Phase
It is important to remind everyone that budget implementation phase is a very critical stage where all the chief executives of agencies of government and their career top functionaries must exercise utmost caution so as not to contravene the relevant provisions of the Appropriation Law and other laws regulating Public Financial Management (PFM) in the state. Any violation or infraction of the Laws carry some penalties. To achieve impressive budget performance, all political and top career functionaries in the various agencies and parastatals must remain faithfully committed to the implementation of their budgets. All budget implementation guidelines issued by the Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development must be strictly adhered to as a matter of law.
The implementation of the Annual Budget starts after the Appropriation Bill has been passed by the House of Assembly and assented to by the Executive Governor. After the Governor might have given his assent, the Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development is expected to present the analysis of the Budget to the members of the public. Thereafter, he is expected by law to issue a circular to all the MDAs containing the comprehensive Budget implementation guidelines. He is also to request for monthly work plan from all the spending entities. That circular is a subsidiary legislation and every agency of government must ensure strict adherence to the budget implementation guidelines otherwise the implementation of their budgets will suffer a setback which may affect the achievement of the goals of the State as encapsulated in the State Development Plan.
Some extant statutes in the state have placed responsibilities on the Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development to enhance effective implementation of the Annual Budget. By virtue of the provision of Section 29(1) of the State of Osun Fiscal Responsibility Law, 2012, the Commissioner responsible for Budget is required to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Annual Budget, assess the attainment of fiscal target and report thereon on a quarterly basis to the Commission and the Finance Committee of the House. By implication, all agencies of Government must carry out the same exercise and forward their quarterly reports to the Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development within the timeframe specified by Law.
Section 24(1) of the State of Osun Public Financial Management (PFM) also makes it mandatory for the Commissioner responsible for Budget to publish the State’s Budget Performance Report not later than 25 days from the end of the quarter and 180 days from the end of the year. This is in line with best practices and the intention is to show the integrity and transparency in the state’s budget implementation mechanisms.
According to extant rules and regulations, the Ministry of Economic Planning Budget and Development shall produce annual budget performance report at the end of the fiscal year which will show how much the Approved budget is consistent with the implemented budget and how much the objectives of the budget were realized and lessons learned. This is a statutory responsibility for the Ministry.
All agencies of Government must ensure strict budget discipline. No extra budgetary expenditure or unbudgeted expenditure should be entertained. This act is against the provision of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Such act is also illegal by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Law. In the same vein, unilateral virement by the Executive is illegal. All virements must be approved by the House of Assembly. Thus, any anticipatory approval is illegal. There are various prison terms for violators. Since that is the provision of the Law, we all must assist the Governor such that we do not present any unbudgeted expenditure request for approval so that we would run foul of the Law.
Section 21 (1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Law, 2012 states that the sums appropriated for a specific purpose shall be used for such purpose. Any diversion of money is a contravention of the extant Law. Any breach of this Law has a penalty.
The Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development must also by Law prepare quarterly reports on the performance of the budget and such report must be presented to the House of Assembly and to the Commission for Fiscal Responsibility. This is to assist the House of Assembly and the Commission in the performance of their oversight functions.
All contract awards must be carried out in line with the provisions of the relevant sections of the Osun State Public Procurement Law, 2024 as amended.
By virtue of Section 25(1) of State of Osun Fiscal Responsibility Law, 2012 the State Government shall cause to be drawn up an Annual Cash Plan which shall be prepared by the Office of the Accountant General of the State. Sub-section 2 of the Law states that the Annual Cash Plan shall be prepared in advance of the financial year setting out projected monthly cash flows and shall be revised periodically to reflect actual Cash flows. The Annual Cash Plan Strategy is supposed to serve as a measure of control on budget implementation by matching the cash out flows with cash inflows. The State Government should try to enforce the implementation of this Law.
The cash management strategy documents are well prepared with sound recommendations However, for cash management strategy to be very effective the budget estimates both expenditures and revenue projection must be very realistic. There must not be overestimation of revenue otherwise the cash me management strategy will be ineffective. In addition, for effective cash management, the state government should consider the need to set up Fund Allocation Committee that will be meeting monthly. This idea will be discussed furthers later.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation of the state budget or projects should be carried out from time to time. Monitoring of capital activities and projects is to assist government in tracking progress to ensure that execution of each activity or Project matches designed and specification and that the input deliver the expected outputs. This is not only to ensure value for money but to ensure that the target sets to be achieved are actually achieved. The Planning Department in the Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development has a statutory responsibility in conjunction with other agencies of government in this regard. Each Agency of government has statutory responsibility as well not only to supervise projects execution but also monitor their projects in order to ensure value for money. Project monitoring is part of the efforts that must be made to enhance the achievement of the objectives of government annual budget.
It should be noted that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended is the principal Legislation on capital project monitoring and evaluation. Other supportive legislations are the State of Osun Fiscal Responsibility Law, 2012, State of Osun Public Financial Management Law, 2020, the Osun State Financial Regulations, 2009, the Osun State Budget Manual, 2003 and others. In short, monitoring and evaluation of capital projects is a requirement of the Law and as such all Agencies of Government must not handle this activity with levity.
The Oversight functions of the House of Assembly
The House of Assembly performs oversight functions on the executive. In a normal setting, the legislature serves as watchdogs on the members of the executive. This is an arrangement to enhance the performance of the annual budget and guaranty good governance. The House of aAsembly has the power to call on any member of the executive to come and explain certain circumstances which could be on budget performance or in respect of a particular project which in the opinion of the House of Assembly or House committee is not progressing well as it should.
Oversight Mechanism
The following mechanisms are usually adopted by a parliament in the performance of their oversight functions:
i. Committee system: parliament committees such as Public Account Committee, Finance and Appropriation Committee and Sectoral Committees scrutinize government activities, policies, actions and decisions.
ii. Investigations and enquiries: parliamentary committee could conduct investigations and enquiry into specific issues such as misappropriation of funds, corruption or the likes.
iii. Budget Analysis and Approval: members scrutinize and approve government budgets ensuring that it aligns with national or state priorities and is implemented effectively.
iv. Ministerial Briefings: Ministers or commissioners so provide regular briefing to parliament on their portfolio, policies and activities.
v. Report and Petitions: members of the legislatures receive and consider report from the public, civil society organizations and other stakeholders and address such petitions and complaint.
Committee – Specific Oversight
i. Public Accounts Committee (PAC): examines government financial reports and accounts to ensure transparency and accountability.
ii. Finance and Appropriation Committee (FAC): reviews and approves government financial policies, budget and expenditure.
iii. Sectoral Committees: The sectoral committees oversee specific sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, works and transport, environment, etc. to ensure effective policy implementation and service delivery.
By performing those oversight functions, members of the parliament hold government accountable for his actions, policies and expenditures. The whole essence of the oversight function of the legislature or parliament is to promote transparency, accountability and good governance.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of a State House of Assembly in Nigeria is responsible for:
i. Examining the audited accounts of the state government
ii. Investigating any irregularities or discrepancies in the accounts
iii. Ensuring that public funds are properly accounted for and utilized
iv. Reviewing the reports of the Auditor-General
v. Conducting public hearings on matters related to public accounts
vi.. Summoning public officials to provide information or clarify issues
vii.. Making recommendations to the House on matters related to public accounts
vii.. Ensuring compliance with financial regulations and laws
The PAC plays a crucial role in promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance in the management of public finances.
THE FUND ALLOCATION COMMITTEE
The Fund Allocation Committee is an important mechanism used by the Executive to exercise control during the process of Budget Implementation. As we all know, the authority to spend money comes only from the Governor and in limited cases from the Deputy Governor when the Governor is not around. The authority comes by using two ways which are:
i. The Approval -in File (AIF) Instrument, which has to be sparingly used for issues which cannot wait for the monthly meetings of the Fund Allocation Committee.
ii. The Fund Allocation Committee Approvals- the FAC holds its meetings every month and allocates the available disbursable fund to all the sectors and subsectors of the Budget and to Ministries and Agencies. All Approvals in file made in the month are regularized at the FAC meetings. Because we operate a Cash Budget many Approvals- In- File have to wait until there are cash backings for them. The best way to control issuance of release warrants without cash backing them is by adopting the Fund Allocation Committee mechanism. The issuance of warrants or subsequent approval of fund release will be determined by available funds after the meeting of the Fund Allocation Committee. This mechanism is a good supporting system for the implementation of the State Cash Management Strategy which is yet to see the light of the day.
The composition of the Fund Allocation Committee (FAC) should be as follows;
The Executive Governor - Chairman
The Deputy Governor- Member
The Secretary to the State Government - Member
Chief of Staff to The Governor - Member
The Hon. Commissioner for Finance - Member
The Hon. Commissioner MEPBD - Member
The Head of Service - Member
Permanent Secretary Finance, - Member
Permanent Secretary, MEPB- - Member
The State Accountant General - Member
Director of Budget - Secretary
The Fund Allocation Committee is a vital financial instrument. Under no circumstance should the chairmanship of the committee be delegated by the Governor
It is my humble recommendation that the State Government should adopt the Fund Allocation Committee mechanism which is a good instrument for effective and efficient Budget implementation.
Some of the benefits inherent in this system are highlighted as follows:
i. Government through the FAC is able to prioritize the implementation of its policies and project without any inhibition;
ii. Government is able to cut its financial coats in accordance with available revenue no building of castle in the air.
iii. Government is able to monitor the usage of the funds released.
iv. It provides the usual checks and balances required to prevent fraud in fund allocation
v. It removes unnecessary delay in fund allocation to programmes and projects
vi. It has been found to be an efficient and effective system of budget implementation and fund management.
OPERATIONAL MODALITIES
i. Preparation of briefs to be used at the meeting
ii. The Office of the Accountant General is to prepare revenue brief comprising all the IGR realized by all Agencies for the month and the statutory allocation received for the month from the Federation Account. The OAG will also collate all outstanding approvals yet to be cash- backed and bring everything to FAC Meeting
iii. The Permanent Secretary, Finance prepares the expenditure brief which is made up of mandatory commitments of Government for the month;
The items therein covers the following:
a. The salary figure payable for the month
b. IBDC bills payable by Government in the month
c. Monthly release to the House of Assembly
d. Monthly release due to the Judiciary for the month
e. Monthly release on Pension and other mandatory commitments
At the FAC meeting ,he Accountant General is to present his brief first
Later the PS Finance will present. All the mandatory commitments take the first charge on the available revenue of Government.
Budget Evaluation Phase
Budget Evaluation is the last phase of the budget cycle. Budget evaluation can be described as a post-mortem exercise carried out after the budget might have been implemented. During this period, the overall performances of revenue and expenditure estimates are no more in doubt. The Evaluation Phase completes the current Budget cycle and serves as the signal for the beginning of the succeeding year’s Budget.
Conclusion
As I earlier remarked, it is not possible within the context of this lecture to be able to discuss all the rules and regulations guiding public financial management and particularly budgeting in the Osun State Public Service. However, we have been able to discuss the salient ones relating to budget conception, budget preparation, budget authorization, implementation and evaluation. In all, we have been able to see that adhering to rules and regulations is very important as it promotes transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness, and good governance. Let us try and familiarize ourselves and adhere strictly to those rules and regulations as encapsulated in the Osun State Financial Regulations, Osun State Budget Manual, the relevant provisions of 1999 constitution of Nigeria and other subsidiary legislations regulating the conduct of public financial management in the state. All these documents should not just be regarded as mere paper tiger, we should get acquainted with them and ensure that we apply them in our daily activities in order to promote good governance in the state.
I wish to unequivocally advise that approvals in file should be sparingly used. Rather, the Fund Allocation Committee (FAC) mechanism should be resuscitated by the government in order to ensure effective and efficient cash management in the state.
Thank you.