The African Centre for Human Advancement and Resource Support (CHARS-Africa), a prominent civic organization focused on promoting fiscal transparency and good governance, has called on the Abia State Government to domesticate the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) to strengthen accountability in public finance and support long-term development planning.
This call was made following CHARS-Africa’s Civil Society Roundtable on Transparency and Good Governance held recently in Aba, where stakeholders agreed that enacting a state-level version of the FRA would institutionalize fiscal discipline and curb the misuse of public resources.
The Federal Fiscal Responsibility Act, enacted in 2007, sets national standards for prudent financial management, including mandatory budget reports, debt limits, and medium-term expenditure planning. However, CHARS-Africa noted that despite Abia State’s commendable strides in budget openness and procurement reforms, the state has yet to adopt a local version of the law. The organization believes this gap leaves critical elements of fiscal governance dependent on discretion rather than enforceable legal standards.
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In a statement signed by Executive Director Amaka Biachi, CHARS-Africa called on the Abia State Government and House of Assembly to take immediate steps to pass a state-specific Fiscal Responsibility Law. The group also urged the establishment of a Fiscal Responsibility Commission to monitor compliance by all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), and recommended that quarterly budget performance reports and debt sustainability measures be made mandatory.
“Abia State cannot claim to uphold transparency and fiscal prudence without codifying these values into law,” the statement read. “Domestication of the FRA is not just a policy option, but a democratic duty, in line with the constitutional mandate for state legislatures to promote good governance.”
CHARS-Africa emphasized that adopting this law would not only improve financial predictability and reduce wastage but also position Abia as a leader in subnational fiscal reform across the South-East and Nigeria as a whole.
The organization reaffirmed its readiness to support the state in this process and urged public officials to act in the best interest of the people by making every naira count through enforceable financial discipline.
For further information, CHARS-Africa can be contacted via email at charsafrica.ng@gmail.com or by phone at +234(0)803-553-2707.
