The House of Representatives has announced plans to host a major national conference aimed at overhauling Nigeria’s public financial accountability system, amid growing concerns over widespread audit infractions and poor fiscal oversight.
The event, tagged the National Conference on Public Accounts and Fiscal Governance (NCPAFG), is scheduled to hold from July 6 to 10, 2025, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja. It is being organised by the House Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as part of a broader legislative effort to promote transparency, accountability, and sustainable development across all levels of government.
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Hon. Bamidele Salam, disclosed this during a press briefing on Monday at the National Assembly. He described the initiative as a flagship event under the 10th Assembly’s Legislative Agenda.
According to Salam, the conference—titled “Fiscal Governance in Nigeria: Charting a New Course for Transparency and Sustainable Development”—will bring together key stakeholders including financial administrators from federal and state governments, lawmakers, audit institutions, anti-corruption bodies, civil society organisations, and international partners.
“This is a national response to the disturbing state of our public finance systems. We’re focusing on reform, training, digital innovation, and long-term structural changes,” Salam said.
He cited figures from the 2020/2021 Auditor-General’s reports, which revealed that over ₦300 billion in public funds were unaccounted for, while more than 60% of federal MDAs violated financial regulations, raising red flags over Nigeria’s audit compliance.
Salam noted that the conference will also prepare Nigeria for its hosting of the 2025 West African Association of Public Accounts Committees (WAPAC) Conference, for which the country recently secured hosting rights.
The programme will include high-level technical sessions on modern auditing, expenditure tracking, anti-corruption tools, and digital reforms, as well as capacity-building workshops for PAC members, finance officers, and regulators.
Among the major outcomes expected from the conference are:
- A National Blueprint for Digital Audit and Financial Management
- The creation of a National Fiscal Governance Working Group
- A roadmap to reduce unaccounted public funds to below ₦1 billion by 2026
- Reduction of non-compliance among MDAs to single-digit percentages
The event will be attended by prominent national figures including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Special Guest of Honour, Vice President Kashim Shettima as keynote speaker, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. Also expected is Mr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., Director General of GIABA (Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa).
The conference will also feature delegates from the Nigerian Governors Forum, financial crime institutions, academia, media, and private sector stakeholders.
Salam urged the Nigerian media to take an active role in spotlighting the conference, stressing that the success of the initiative hinges on public engagement and sustained pressure for accountability.
“This is not just a legislative event—it is a national movement toward fixing our broken systems. The media has a duty to help drive awareness,” he added.
The conference is expected to mark a critical step in Nigeria’s transition to a transparent and digitally driven public financial governance regime.
