Abuja: The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the BudgIT Foundation to bolster fiscal transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement within the public finance management system. Mr. Victor Muruako, Executive Chairman of the commission, highlighted the MoU as a strategic move to enhance collaboration between the FRC and BudgIT during the signing ceremony held in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the MoU underscores the commitment of both the commission and BudgIT in areas such as fiscal oversight, citizen engagement, and institutional capacity building. It aligns with the commission’s broader reform agenda aimed at promoting fiscal discipline across all government tiers. Muruako emphasized that the collaboration is designed to improve transparency, foster public participation in fiscal processes, and strengthen accountability mechanisms in Nigeria’s public finance management system.
Muruako also pointed out the necessity for legislative amendments to the Fiscal Responsibility Act to enhance the commission’s enforcement authority. He called for improved staff welfare and remuneration to enable personnel to deliver optimal services to the nation. The MoU establishes a structured framework for cooperation between the two institutions, involving Civic Technology Integration, employment of BudgIT’s transparency platforms like Tracka and the BudgIT Budget App, data sharing, research support, and joint sensitization campaigns.
The agreement also includes confidentiality, dispute resolution, anti-corruption compliance, non-exclusivity, and termination procedures. By integrating statutory oversight functions with data-driven citizen engagement tools, the collaboration aims to enhance transparency, improve public resource monitoring, and support ongoing fiscal governance reforms. The partnership signals a growing synergy between regulatory institutions and civic technology organizations in Nigeria’s accountability landscape.
Dr. Emmanuel Uche, Project and Component Manager for Anti-Corruption under the EU Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, commended Muruako for invigorating the FRC’s leadership and management. Uche noted that while the FRC was established under the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007 to curb fiscal recklessness, structural limitations have constrained its enforcement capacity. He called for amendments to strengthen the commission’s powers, particularly in sanctioning fiscal offenders, to enhance Nigeria’s fiscal governance architecture and reinforce anti-corruption efforts.
Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Vahyala Kwaga, Deputy Director of the BudgIT Foundation, praised the commission’s recent performance, noting its increasingly visible and impactful outputs under Muruako’s leadership. Kwaga described Muruako as a reform-oriented leader committed to advancing fiscal discipline and public accountability. He expressed optimism that the partnership would amplify transparency initiatives and deepen collaboration between government and civil society.