The speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, has advocated for the harmonisation of federal and state audit systems for a unified national framework to end fiscal recklessness.

Mr Tajudeen made the call at the National Conference on Fiscal Governance, Transparency and Accountability in Abuja on Monday, organised by the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The theme of the three-day conference is “Fiscal Governance in Nigeria: Charting a New Course for Transparency and Sustainable Development”.

He said the House was fully committed to supporting the integration of technology into public sector audit and accounting processes.

Mr Abbas said, “We have championed the digitisation of audit and financial reports, promoted the use of real-time expenditure tracking tools, and encouraged MDAs to adopt automated audit software.”

The lawmaker said Nigeria’s fiscal governance infrastructure must be responsive, intelligent, and future-proof.

“We believe transparency must be owned by the people and driven from the ground up, with civil society watchdogs and citizens empowered to ask questions and demand answers. Nigeria has the experience, the legislative depth, and the institutional will to become a continental beacon in public financial accountability.

“The House of Representatives strongly supports a harmonised approach to fiscal accountability, where audit methodologies, enforcement mechanisms, and compliance cultures are not fragmented but standardised and mutually reinforcing.

“That is why the House has prioritised the harmonisation of federal and state audit systems, working towards a unified national framework for public finance management that leaves no tier of government behind. The goal is to cultivate a nationwide fiscal ecosystem where transparency is not limited by geography or level of government,” he said.

Mr Tajudeen said the conference called for a deliberate push towards rethinking how the country’s resources could be managed, reported, and utilised.

He said the relevance of accountability, good governance, transparency, and value for money in a democracy could not be overemphasised.

“It is our shared responsibility to ensure that fiscal governance evolves from a bureaucratic exercise to a dynamic instrument for national development. It is not possible to achieve sustainable development in the absence of transparent and accountable fiscal governance.

“It is not merely about balancing books or closing audit gaps, but it is about creating a fiscal architecture that prioritises equity, inclusion, and intergenerational responsibility. This calls for reassessment of the frameworks that govern public revenue, including how we design tax systems, structure subsidies, and allocate capital,” he said.

In his remarks, the chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC), Ahmed Wadada (SDP-Nasarawa), said public trust in government could only be rebuilt through transparency and measurable service delivery.

The senator said the era of fiscal recklessness must end, saying fiscal governance is the moral backbone of public service, which determines whether government revenue becomes national prosperity or a lost opportunity.

Also speaking, the House Public Account Committee (HPAC) chairman, Bamidele Salam (PDP-Osun), called for a complete recalibration of Nigeria’s fiscal governance systems.

He urged all public officials to move beyond lip service and ensure that public funds were truly used for the public good.

“Making public funds work for the public good is a mantra we must not only proclaim but must be seen to internalise and practise in all we do as public servants,” he said.

(NAN)