The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Ahmed Idris, has reiterated commitment to collaborate with Galaxy Backbone (GBB) to harness its potential to enhance digitisation of public financial sector in the country.
Ahmed stated this during a familiraisation visit by the Managing Director of GBB, Prof. Muhammed Abubakar, to his office in Abuja.
He explained that the AGF drove all financial management in the public sector such as the E-Payment System in Nigeria, Automated Accounting Transactions (ATRRS) Intergrated Payroll and Personal System (IPPIS).
He added adopting of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) among others.
“The relationship between GBB and the accountant general’s office is a long standing one and we will continue to synergise with you and patronise you in your core area of responsibility.
“We will also patronise you as a government company looking inwards rather than going faraway consulting from foreign nations or within.
“We will continue to open our door as we always do for you to play a role for these initiatives to be driven.
“These reform initiatives revolve around ICT tools and it is your area of core mandate and you have the capacity,” he said.
He emphasised the need for all public sectors to key into the digitisation drive of the Federal Government adding that it would harness the potential of ICT to block leakages in Nigeria.
According to Idris, digitisation is only way not just around public finance sector but also in the social space of insecurity, vandalism, kidnapping and also to cut the excesses of hoodlums in the society.
“Digitisation is what we already recognise as answer to all financial reforms.
“I will boldly say that the office is almost 100 per cent compliant in terms of staffing, and training; there is always ICT content and cyber consideration in all components.
“We believe that it is the way to go and that is where we are going to go to. I want to charge other sectors of the economy to go the way of digitisation, which is the answer, ” he said.
He maintained that with adequate funding, attention and focus, the GBB would be capable of providing what was required to drive government financial reforms and also to tap from the potential it had to offer.
On the issue of unversities not in agreement with the enrolment in IPPIS, the AGF said it was not unusual for new policies to be resisted adding that there was resistance in the issue of TSA but in the end people still embraced it.
“For the IPPIS, we will use all means to enlighten stakeholders on the benefits of enrolling.
“I can’t see government going back on a policy it has put in place. We will continue to put all measures in place and I urge all to come on board.
“The universities community we are talking about, we have covered 70 per cent enrollment.
“What is remaining is a little bit above 20 per cent and so government is on cause as these policies will be successful and beneficial to all.
“We will continue to expand our collaboration but I will want to say that there is a limit to which government can be pushed.
“So no industry, group or association is beyond government, so this policy is good.
“These financial reforms are to entrench transparency, accountability and probity.
“I look forward to more corporation and partnership for both organisations to synergise for the benefit of our organisations and and public financial management
In his remarks the MD of GBB, Abubakar, said the purpose of the visit was to strengthen the relationship that existed between the organisations by harnessing ICT for quality service delivery of government services.
“We came to thank you for the support you have been giving us all along and also to introduce myself as the new Managing Director.
“It is also to ask for permission to continue to have a kind of partnership and, from time to time, to have active collaboration between ourselves as we have long done,” he said. (NAN)
