…As ECOWAS wants more legislation for women participation in politics***
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun was at the weekend lauded, for her leading role in setting up the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), which oversees the utilization of public funds under the present administration.
Special Adviser to Adeosun on Media and Communications, Mr Oluyinka Akintunde stated this on Sunday, in Abuja which x-raying the achievements of the Minister, since her assumption of office in November, 2015, noting that Adeosun’s roles, succeeded in developing and implementing fiscal policies that seriously curtails wastages in governance, thereby reducing fiscal leakages and boosting government’s non-oil revenue.
Akintunde stated that Adeosun also introduced the Efficiency Unit, which succeeded in bringing down overhead costs in many Federal Government’s Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs), in addition to the un-spared implementation of the Treasury Single Account, which though conceived by the previous administration, but was actually implemented by the present, thereby making it easier to effectively track government’s revenues.
Akintunde equally commended his Boss, for introducing the Whistle-blower Policy, launched in December, 2016 to encourage public participation in the fight against corruption.
“Under the Whistle-blower Policy, the Federal Government has recovered N7.8 billion, $378 million and 27,800 Pounds Sterling.
“In May 2018, the government paid about N439.27 million to 14 whistleblowers who gave specific tips on tax evasion,” Akintunde said, adding that in June 29, 2017, the Federal Government also launched the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) to improve tax compliance in the country.
He recalled that through VAIDS, tax payers were offered a window of opportunity to regularise their tax status relating to previous tax periods, without incurring penalties.
“The robust implementation of VAIDS has seen an increase in the number of tax payers from 13 million before the assumption of Office by the incumbent Administration to 14 million in 2016 and 19.3 million in 2018.
“It is instructive to note that some local and foreign companies are now disposed to the VAIDS initiative, and have started to regularise their tax status,” he said.
Furthermore, Akintunde said Adeosun had succeeded in clearing some of the pension liabilities it inherited from the previous administration.
“N41.5 billion was released by the Federal Ministry of Finance to pay off outstanding pensions arrears of 2014, 2015 and 2016, while N12.5 billion was paid out to clear pension claims for up to March, 2017.
“This brings the total payment of outstanding pension arrears by the current administration to over N54 billion; an unprecedented feat, which has been commended by the various workers’ unions,” he said.
Akintunde also said the establishment of the N396.5 billion Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) was part of Adeosun’s achievements.
“Already, the DBN has a N5 billion line of credit to be accessed by MSMEs through its partner institutions,” he said.
Akintunde also said the minister was responsible for the debt refinancing strategy to better manage existing debt and the Fiscal Sustainability Plans and Budget Support Facility for States of the Federation.
“It is very evident that the Federal Ministry of Finance, under the dynamic leadership of Mrs Adeosun has stepped up the tempo in addressing the myriads of economic challenges.
Meanwhile, the ECOWAS Commission has called for legislation of gender parity laws to create room for equitable representation of women in politics, ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Dr Sigma Jagne, Commissioner for ECOWAS Social Affairs and Gender, told newsmen in Abuja that this would tackle gender inequality issues.
She said poor representation and participation of women in politics posed a serious challenge for sustenance of democratic growth in West Africa.
“The men have been there for a long time and they have not taken us where we want to go and we think that, as long as women are left out, we will not get where we want to go.
“We have to work hand in hand to the place where we all want to be which is where men and women work together and make decisions together.
“Senegal made it a law to have 50 per cent women in parliament and 50 per cent men and I think all the other countries can take (a) cue from Senegal.
“We urge Nigeria, which has the lowest representation of elected women, to also work on legislation for the 2019 elections.
“To ensure that women representation move up, if not 50 per cent but from its 8 per cent to 25 per cent; we (can) take (it) slowly to 50 per cent by another five years after 2019”, she stated further, frowning on the orchestrated belief, that men were designed to lead women as a culture that hinders gender growth; and called on political parties to create a level-playing-field that would encourage gender equality.