Various reforms anchored by the Ministry Finance, Budget and National Planning has saved the federal government in excess of N700bn.
The immediate past Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Ministry of Budget and National Planning Dr. Mohammed Dikwa disclosed this at the weekend during a send forth dinner in his honour by the ministry as he retires from civil service.
Dr. Dikwa retired Friday having reached the mandatory retirement age of 60.
“Reform initiatives have saved the country over N700billion from being wasted and also recovered over N300billlon through respective Security Agencies working in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning” he said.
He listed some of the reforms to include; the introduction Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), International public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), Treasury Single Account (TSA), Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), Efficiency Unit, Whistleblowlng Policy, Asset Tracing Project and the Strategic Revenue Growth Initiative (SRGI).
Dikwa said he played a huge role to make some of the above initiatives a success even as he said he served for 35 years without blemish.
“Despite holding sensitive positions both at the State and Federal levels with series of temptations from various individuals, groups and societies both within and outside the public service, today I can proudly say that there was no single query issued to me either as a result of misconduct, gross misconduct or inefficiency observed in the course of discharging my statutory responsibilities to my dear nation as a civil servant” he said.
Furthermore, he said he also made modest contributions to the nation building especially in areas of instilling transparency, accountability and prudent management of scarce resources.
Dikwa also said he was instrumental to the successful verification and payment of pensioners of the defund Nigeria Airways, haven Bern given the assignment by the minister of finance, budget and national planning.
According to him, he was also a part of the conceptualization and launching of the strategic Revenue Growth Initiative (SRGI) adding that today, we are sure of steadily growing the national revenue as a result of the SRGI implementation.
Sparking during the sendforth, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed said about Dikwa: “Your service to the nation has been substantial and we will not forget anytime soon.
“Working with you has been an immense pleasure. Today is not marking an exit by celebration of a new beginning. I’m confident to find the same success in retirement and in the new task that lays ahead of you. I urge you to take the deserved rest because we will soon call you,” she said.
