Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has called on the state government to establish a State Central Revenue Account, SCRA, as part of sweeping reforms to consolidate all government revenues, enhance fiscal transparency, and eliminate leakages across ministries, departments, and agencies, MDAs.
The resolution followed a motion moved by the House Leader, Rt. Hon. Otobong Bob, during plenary on Tuesday, titled “Urgent Need for Akwa Ibom State Government to Establish a State Central Revenue Account.”
Presenting the motion, Bob said the proposed SCRA would serve as a unified digital platform through which all revenue, including taxes, levies, fees, and other government earnings, would be collected and automatically remitted to a single account domiciled in the state treasury.
He explained that the initiative mirrors the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account, TSA, system introduced in 2012 and fully implemented under former President Muhammadu Buhari to consolidate public funds and improve financial discipline.
“The TSA revolutionised Nigeria’s public finance management by blocking leakages and ensuring accountability. If our state government does not urgently adopt and fully implement a State Central Revenue Account in this dwindling economy, we will continue to suffer revenue leakages and poor fiscal accountability,” Rt. Hon. Bob warned.
The House Leader pointed out that several states, including Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Oyo, and Niger, have already domesticated similar digital payment systems that allow residents to make payments electronically via mobile apps, online portals, and USSD codes, ensuring transparency and real-time monitoring of government inflows.
He added that the International Monetary Fund (and the World Bank have long identified centralised digital revenue systems as global best practices in public financial management.
“Countries such as India, Ghana, and Sri Lanka have recorded measurable improvements in efficiency and trust in government through digital payment integration,” he said.
Under the adopted motion, the Assembly urged the Executive, through the Ministries of Finance, Science and Digital Economy, in collaboration with the Office of the Accountant General and the Akwa Ibom State Internal Revenue Service, AKIRS, to begin implementation before the 2026 fiscal year.
It further recommended that the government partner with reputable FinTech companies to design and deploy a secure, multi-channel payment platform integrating all MDAs and local governments. The platform, lawmakers said, should support bank transfers, mobile apps, cards, and USSD transactions, accessible across both urban and rural communities.
The motion also proposed the formation of an inter-agency oversight and implementation committee to supervise the process, as well as a statewide public awareness campaign to educate citizens and businesses on the new system’s benefits.
Lawmakers who supported the motion praised Rt. Hon. Bob for what they described as a “timely, business-minded reform initiative” capable of plugging revenue leakages and strengthening Akwa Ibom’s fiscal resilience.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, commended members for their support and directed the Clerk of the House, Mrs. NsikakAbasi Orok, to communicate the resolutions to the state executive council for immediate action.
