Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, has said the ministry was fully committed to ensuring fiscal accountability in its operations.
He told the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) that the ministry of housing and its agencies will ensure transparency in the financial governance in the ministry, in line with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
The Minister stated this when he received the Chairman of FRC, Victor Muruako, and his team on a visit to the ministry, according to the Director Information, Badamasi Salisu.
Dangiwa noted that the responsible management of finances within the ministry was not an option, but a fundamental obligation to Nigerians.
“Every decision that we make, every resource that we allocate, carries the weight of public trust and expectation. Therefore, instilling fiscal responsibility is indeed an ethical imperative and a commitment to transparent and accountable governance,” he said.
“For me, fiscal responsibility is not just merely a concept; it is a cornerstone that should shape our decisions, policies, and strategies,” he added.
According to him, fiscal responsibility will ensure the judicious management of the ministry’s resources “so that we can give Nigerians value for money as we conceive, develop, and implement our affordable housing and urban development plans.”
Dangiwa commended the commission’s dedication to providing an institutional framework for ensuring efficient resource allocation, and effective debt management in the country.
He stated that the ministry was eager to explore synergies between her entities and identify areas where combined expertise and mandates can create meaningful impact.
The minister also promised to intervene on the issue of decent and affordable housing schemes for the staff of commission through the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) loans and also pledged support towards the review of the 2007 Fiscal Responsibility Act.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Commission, Muruako, gave a rundown of the achievements of the commission since its establishment in 2007 which had led to significant improvements in revenue collection.
He commended the minister for his previous achievements at the FMBN as well as his concern for decent housing for the citizenry.
