Sustaining transparency and accountability at subnationals beyond the SFTAS programme
MARTIN Ike-Muonso
February 13, 2023
For many years, governors exploited the relative budgetary independence of their states to enrich themselves corruptly, limit citizens’ rights to participate in governance, and support a perverse culture that undermined their ability to fulfil their commitments to employees and citizens. The strategy was simple: prevent the citizens from having adequate information about the government. Fuzzy, […]
US oil dilemma and Africa’s opportunities
Olukayode OyeleyeFebruary 13, 2023
AT THE STATE OF THE UNION address last week Tuesday night of February 7, 2023, in the United States, President Joe Biden momentarily turned melodramatic halfway through his speech when he was complaining about the “Big Oil.” Before straying away from his prepared speech, he said “that Big Oil just reported record profits. Last year, […]
Improving taxpayer compliance through effective communication
MARTIN Ike-MuonsoFebruary 6, 2023
Adequate information and knowledge facilitate conviction and sound decisions. It is even more potent in delivering these benefits, the more accurate, relevant, convincing and easier to understand. Due to this lack of conviction, many citizens do not trust the government enough and therefore resist or fail to comply with their tax payment obligations. In response, […]
Africa’s bumpy road to regional economic cooperation (9)
Olukayode OyeleyeFebruary 6, 2023
MOROCCO PULLED OUT of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1984, as it was then known, and remained outside it until January 31, 2017, when it returned to the group, now known as African Union (AU). Morocco’s grouse for withdrawing its OAU membership was in protest against the OAU’s acceptance of the Sahrawi Arab […]
Awakening entrepreneurship in subnational governments
MARTIN Ike-MuonsoJanuary 30, 2023
This article is a near-perfect clone of my essay “Awakening government entrepreneurship”, published in this newspaper’s July 6, 2020 edition. The significant difference between that article and this one is the focus. While the earlier publication focused on the Nigerian government, this one is narrower. Nevertheless, the message is the same, and the underlying principles […]
On the increase in Third Party insurance premium
Francis EwheridoJanuary 30, 2023
A circular dated December 22, 2022, from the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) increased the premium and limit of liability of various classes of motor insurance. Private motor third party limit was increased from N1 million to N3 million; own goods limit was increased to N5m; staff bus was increased to N3m; trucks/general cartage; special types […]
Africa’s bumpy road to regional economic cooperation (8)
Olukayode OyeleyeJanuary 30, 2023
DEPENDENCY IS NOT supposed to mean vulnerability. But it sometimes does. In country relations, in particular, it means just that, placing dependent countries at the mercy of those providing some sorts of support. And many African countries are dependent for reasons of their locations, costing them greatly. Landlocked countries of Africa are somehow dependent on […]
Africa’s bumpy road to regional economic cooperation (7)
Olukayode OyeleyeJanuary 23, 2023
LAST WEDNESDAY IN South Africa, Nigeria’s consulate in Johannesburg was subjected to an unusual embarrassment that caught the attention of global media. Electricity supply to the consulate was disconnected by the Johannesburg City Power officials over unpaid bills purportedly owed by the consulate, an action that sparked a diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa. […]
Tapping into FG spending proposals to grow SNG IGR
MARTIN Ike-MuonsoJanuary 23, 2023
Large numbers of analysts, business people, investors, civil servants, and the media, among others, pay special attention to the federal government’s expenditure proposals each year. A primary motivation for the engagement is to identify how the federal government’s proposed expenditures would positively or negatively affect their prospects. Investors and businesspeople carefully pore over the numbers […]
Growing subnational IGR by tackling insecurity
MARTIN Ike-MuonsoJanuary 16, 2023
Governors are the chief security officers of their states. The title is not one of those sycophantic labels to massage their ego. That is why they also receive security votes to ensure they adequately perform the responsibility. State governors’ poor deployment of their states’ so-called security votes and other security budgets in tackling insecurity has […]