Economy

Consistent Drop in Revenue Forced FG To Review Cost of Governance

Published

3 years ago

May 5, 2021

The federal government has initiated an order to cut the cost of governance in the face of dwindling revenue occasioned by the headwinds of the COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant global economic tailspin.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said yesterday in Abuja that the measures were targeted at reducing recurrent expenditure, which is projected to gulp about 41.5 per cent of the total provisions of N13.588 trillion in the 2021 budget, amounting to N5.64 trillion.

She stated that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the salaries and wages committee to review the payroll of public servants as well as consider the merger of some agencies.

Besides, the government will also remove some unnecessary items from the budget as a move to cut the cost of governance.

Ahmed spoke at a policy dialogue on ‘corruption and cost of governance in Nigeria,’ organised by the Independent Corrupt Practice and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Also at the occasion, the Director-General, Budget Office, Mr. Ben Akabueze, proposed a constitutional amendment to pave the way for the restructuring of the country into six regions instead of the present 36 states structure. This, he said, would help to reduce the rising cost of governance.

Ahmed stated that the proposed cost-saving measures was aimed at streamlining government expenditure with revenue.

She said: “We still see government expenditure increase to a terrain twice higher than our revenue.”

She urged all government agencies to come together to trim the cost amid the country’s dwindling revenue.

According to her, the nation’s budgets are filled every year with projects that are recycled and that are also not necessary.

“Mr. President has directed that the salaries committee that I chair, work together with the head of service and other members of the committee to review the government pay rolls in terms of stepping down on cost,” she added.

The minister said the federal government would also review the number of government agencies in terms of their mandates, adding that the government will consider merging two agencies with the same mandate.

She said: “We need to work together; all agencies of the government to cut down our cost. We need to cut down unnecessary expenditures–expenditures that we can do without.

“Our budgets are filled year-in-year out with projects that we see over and over again and also projects that are not necessary.”

Akabueze, in a paper titled: ‘Reducing the Cost of Governance in Nigeria,’ described the country’s current system of democratic governance as very expansive and expensive.

He said the constitutional provision that mandated the president to appoint a minister from at least each of the 36 states, should be amended to reduce the number of federal cabinet members.

He cited the large federal structure to be one of the drivers of the high cost of governance and engendering public outcry that government spending is largely on recurrent activities at the expense of capital projects.

While describing the subsisting fiscal policy as unsustainable, Akabueze said the persistent call for the reduction of governance cost had continued to gain momentum in view of its impact on government fiscal situation.

He stated that the cost of governance is considerably cheaper in the United States from where Nigeria copied the presidential system of government.

According to him, the general cost of administration in the United States is less than 10 per cent of the total annual budgets while the United States, with a higher population than Nigeria, has only 15 secretaries and executive departments as against Nigeria, which has 27 ministers, 16 ministers of state and 27 ministries.

He lamented that the federal government is maintaining 943 Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with many of them having duplicated functions.

“There are 541 federal government-owned public corporations and enterprises. We need to cut these in order to install efficiency in governance. Also, we have a bloated civil service. The current civil service structure and size is clearly unsustainable for Nigeria’s economy,” he said.

He warned against the tendency where the civil service is accorded political, ethnic and religious patronage.

“A comprehensive staff auditing and job available is imperative to determine the right size of the federal civil service without having any adverse effect on the service. And to avoid duplication in the civil service, the staff rationalisation programme should be gradual,” he added.

Akabueze said the federal government’s recurrent spending accounted for more than 75 per cent of the actual MDAs expenditure between 2011 and 2020, in addition to personnel cost which accounted for government significant spending.

He accused the MDAs of incurring excessive personnel costs and wilfully indulging in wide range of underhand practices that are driving governance cost out of the ordinary.

According to him, in 2016, personnel cost was N1.87 trillion while at the moment the same cost has spiralled to over N3 trillion.

The effect of the rising cost of running government, Akabueze added, is the reason why only 30 percent of the budget is available for capital project and the cause behind many abandoned capital projects nationwide.

He said: “Personnel cost accounted for 31 per cent and 63 per cent of the total spending and retained revenue in 2020. In the USA, the general administration cost is less than 10 per cent of total budget.’’

He challenged Nigerians to task themselves on governance, saying that the success story of the Asian Tiger was a product of sound leadership and determination.

ICPC Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, described the cost of governance as the driver of corruption in Nigeria.

He said the government was committed to improving the country’s revenue by focusing on new and existing sources and by streamlining payroll.

He added that the federal government would also ensure removal of subsidies and reduction in the cost of contracts and procurement are for the benefits of the vulnerable.

He listed critical area of concern to include payroll padding and the phenomenon of ghost workers.

The federal government’s intended cost-cutting approach is coming amid a report by a public finance transparency advocacy firm, BudgIT that the 2021 federal budget contains over 316 duplicated capital projects worth N39.5 billion.

BudgIT, a public finance transparency advocacy firm, said in a report that the duplication of projects was just one among other loopholes for corruption in the budget.

It said: “Our investigations into the 2021 budget revealed at least 316 duplicated capital projects worth N39.5 billion, with 115 of those duplicate projects occurring in the Ministry of Health. This is very disturbing, especially considering the health infrastructure deficit and the raging COVID-19 pandemic affecting Nigeria.

“BudgIT also found zero audit records of the N10.02 trillion received by the security sector between 2015 and 2021.”

It also alleged that budgetary provisions were made for agencies for projects that are beyond their execution. It added: “Even worse, agencies now receive allocations for capital projects they cannot execute. For example, the National Agriculture Seed Council has an allocation for N400m to construct solar street lights across all six geopolitical zones, while the Federal College of Forestry in Ibadan in Oyo State got N50m for the construction of street lights in Edo State.

“These are aberrations that need to be corrected.”

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Economy

IMF Urges Nigeria to End Fuel and Electricity Subsidies

Published

9 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Samed Olukoya

In a recent report titled “Nigeria: 2024 Article IV Consultation,” the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised the Nigerian government to terminate all forms of fuel and electricity subsidies, arguing that they predominantly benefit the wealthy rather than the intended vulnerable population.

The IMF’s recommendation comes amidst Nigeria’s struggle with record-high inflation and economic challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report highlights the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of subsidies, noting that they are costly and poorly targeted.

According to the IMF, higher-income groups tend to benefit more from these subsidies, resulting in a misallocation of resources. With pump prices and electricity tariffs currently below cost-recovery levels, subsidy costs are projected to increase significantly, reaching up to three percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024.

The IMF suggests that once Nigeria’s social protection schemes are enhanced and inflation is brought under control, subsidies should be phased out.

The government’s social intervention scheme, developed with support from the World Bank, aims to provide targeted support to vulnerable households, potentially benefiting around 15 million households or 60 million Nigerians.

However, concerns persist regarding the removal of subsidies, particularly in light of the recent announcement of an increase in electricity tariffs by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

While the government has taken steps to reduce subsidies, including the removal of the costly petrol subsidy, there are lingering challenges in fully implementing these reforms.

Nigeria’s fiscal deficit is projected to be higher than anticipated, according to the IMF staff’s analysis.

The persistence of fuel and electricity subsidies is expected to contribute to this fiscal imbalance, along with lower oil and gas revenue projections and higher interest costs.

Economy

IMF Warns of Challenges as Nigeria’s Economic Growth Barely Matches Population Expansion

Published

4 days ago

May 10, 2024

Samed Olukoya

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said Nigeria’s growth prospects will barely exceed its population expansion despite recent economic reforms.

Axel Schimmelpfennig, the IMF’s mission chief to Nigeria, who explained the risks to the nation’s economic outlook during a virtual briefing, acknowledged the strides made in implementing tough economic reforms but stressed that significant challenges persist.

The IMF reaffirmed its forecast of 3.3% economic growth for Nigeria in the current year, slightly up from 2.9% in 2023.

However, Schimmelpfennig revealed that this growth rate merely surpasses population dynamics and signaled a need for accelerated progress to enhance living standards significantly.

While Nigeria has received commendation for measures such as abolishing fuel subsidies and reforming the foreign-exchange regime under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, these reforms have not come without costs.

The drastic depreciation of the naira by 65% has fueled inflation to its highest level in nearly three decades, exacerbating the cost of living for many Nigerians.

The IMF anticipates a moderation of Nigeria’s annual inflation rate to 24% by the year’s end, down from the current 33.2% recorded in March.

However, the organization cautioned that substantial challenges persist, particularly in addressing acute food insecurity affecting millions of Nigerians with up to 19 million categorized as food insecure and a poverty rate of 46% in 2023.

Moreover, the IMF emphasized the importance of maintaining a tight monetary policy stance to curb inflation, preserve exchange rate flexibility, and bolster reserves.

It raised concerns about proposed amendments to the law governing the central bank, fearing that such changes could undermine its autonomy and weaken the institutional framework.

Looking ahead, Nigeria faces several risks, including potential shocks to agriculture and global food prices, which could exacerbate food insecurity.

Also, any decline in oil production would not only impact economic growth but also strain government finances, trade, and inflationary pressures.

Economy

Nigeria’s Cash Transfer Scheme Shows Little Impact on Household Consumption, Says World Bank

Published

4 days ago

May 9, 2024

Samed Olukoya

The World Bank has said Nigeria’s conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at bolstering household consumption and financial inclusion is largely ineffective.

Despite significant investment and efforts by the Nigerian government, the program has shown minimal impact on the lives of its beneficiaries.

Launched in collaboration with the World Bank in 2016, the cash transfer initiative was designed to provide financial support to vulnerable Nigerians as part of the National Social Safety Nets Project.

However, the latest findings suggest that the program has fallen short of its intended goals.

The World Bank’s research revealed that the cash transfer scheme had little effect on household consumption, financial inclusion, or employment among beneficiaries.

Also, the program’s impact on women’s employment was noted to be minimal, highlighting systemic challenges in achieving gender parity in economic opportunities.

Despite funding a significant portion of the cash transfer program, the World Bank found no statistical evidence to support claims of improved financial inclusion or household consumption.

The report underscored the need for complementary interventions to generate sustainable improvements in households’ self-sufficiency.

According to the document, while there were some positive outcomes associated with the cash transfer program, such as increased household savings and food security, its overall impact remained limited.

Beneficiary households reported improvements in decision-making autonomy and freedom of movement but failed to see substantial gains in key economic indicators.

The findings come amid ongoing scrutiny of Nigeria’s social intervention programs, with concerns raised about transparency, accountability, and effectiveness.

The cash transfer scheme, once hailed as a critical tool in poverty alleviation, now faces renewed scrutiny as stakeholders call for comprehensive reforms to address its shortcomings.

In response to the World Bank’s report, government officials have emphasized their commitment to enhancing social safety nets and improving the effectiveness of cash transfer programs.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, reaffirmed the government’s intention to restart social intervention programs soon, following the completion of beneficiary verification processes.

As Nigeria grapples with economic challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and other structural issues, the need for impactful social welfare initiatives has become increasingly urgent.

The World Bank’s assessment underscores the importance of evidence-based policy-making and targeted interventions to address poverty and inequality in the country.