Abia Insists On Treasury Single Account Amidst Opposition From Tertiary Institutions, MDAs

 

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

To block leakages in the collections and management of public funds, the Abia State Government has insisted that keying into the Treasury Single Account TSA, remains the only option open to all Ministries, Extra- Ministerial Agencies and the State own tertiary Institutions, to enjoy the support of the Government in their operations.

This is even as the State Ministry for Environment, has announced the immediate suspension of the activities of all revenue collection agents and other related service providers under its bait.

At a workshop organized jointly by the office of the State, Board of Internal Revenue, BIR, and her office for major stakeholders in Umuahia the state capital on Friday, July 5, Abia State Accountant General Njum Onyemenam said approval of expenditures of any type within the system will be determined by the compliance of the entities involved with the demands and dictates of the TSA.

The Source reports that most extra Ministerial Departments, and Tertiary Institutions in the State,have been voicing their opposition to the policy .

The Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, ASUU, of the state owned University in Uturu, has listed the insistence for the institution to migrate to the TSA as one its major areas of disagreement with the state Government.

The ASUU-ABSUTH branch said apart from the system being against the interests of the University workforce, it is also not in consonance with the autonomous status of the system.

But the State Accountant General maintained that the TSA, was conceptualized to enthrone a regime of transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.

Onyemenam highlighted that Ministries , MDAs and others ,will have a seamless funding procedure ,with their migration to the TSA system.

This is just as the Executive Chairman of the BIR, Professor Udochukwu Ogbonnaya, informed that all Government receipts must be channeled through the TSA for it to be legal .

He stated that all payments into the account must be made using bank transaction cards ,Point of Sales (POS), bank tellers, mobile App and/or any other recognized e-payment platforms.

It will be recalled that the Abia State Government had, in July last year, introduced the TSA citing among others the need to block leakages in the system as reason.

A statement issued by the Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna, noted that its decision to suspend all revenue collection contractual agreements is to halt the activities of some illegal operators extorting unsuspecting residents and fleecing the State Government.

Consequently, the Ministry has directed all revenue collectors and other related service providers to report to the Ministry for verification and validation .