The Accountant General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris has allayed fears being expressed in some Agencies of Government that the recent directive of President Muhammed Buhari on the establishment and operation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) for the e-collection of Government Receipts for all the MDAs, will negatively affect the operations of some of the specialized Agencies, adding that the reform will rather improve their efficiency and increase the rating of the nation’s economy.
Alhaji Idris made this clarification in Abuja whilst receiving members of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of the Federal Universities led by their Secretary -General Prof Michael Faboade at the Treasury House . The members were at the Treasury House to discuss issues bothering the efficient operations of the Universities.
The introduction of the TSA according to the Accountant General of the Federation, is not a punitive measure targeted at any government establishment or attempts to jeopardize the peace and stability of the university systems, but part of the reforms being introduced by this administration to institutionalize a more efficient and transparent management of public finances in the country. He maintained that the Treasury Single Account (TSA) is aimed at creating a single pool where all government’s receipts are kept in one account, thus making it possible at a glance to know the state of all the accounts for planning and execution of government policies.
In order to ensure a hitch-free implementation of the TSA, Alhaji Idris revealed that the Office of the Accountant General (OAGF) has set up a special Committee to be headed by a Director, to address all issues or enquires from all affected MDAs and added that the committee will make sure the operations of specialized Agencies like the Universities are not hampered by the project.
He reassured the Committee of Vice Chancellors that Office of the Accountant General of the Federation will collaborate with the Universities to ensure that all matters that they have raised will be passionately addressed to ensure that the university systems are more efficient and are transparently managed.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Secretary of the Committee of Vice chancellors, Prof Michael Faborode, informed the Accountant General that the Universities by means of their operations and services regarded as peculiar establishments which should not treated as purely public service in function or categorized as revenue generating agencies and called for a review of the inclusion of the Universities in the TSA circular.
He expressed fears that the implementation of the TSA in the University system may distort the effective functioning of the University systems since according to him, their allocations are hardly enough to carter for their needs. Prof Faborode reiterated that universities collect third party funds for provision of services praying that this function should not be disrupted on account of the TSA implementation.
K.N OFFIE (Mrs)
DD PRESS
13TH AUGUST, 2015
