Adhere to mandates in 2025 budget preparation, Shettima urges gov’t agencies
Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on heads of government agencies to strictly follow their organizational mandates as they prepare for the 2025 budget. This directive was delivered at a one-day retreat held in Abuja on Saturday, organized for State House Management and chiefs of agencies under its supervision. The retreat aimed to prepare participants for the issuance of the call circular, marking the official start of the 2025 budget exercise.
Represented by Deputy Chief of Staff, Senator Ibrahim Hadeija, VP Shettima stressed the importance of adhering to the guiding provisions that establish these organizations. He emphasized that agencies must remain focused on their core objectives, particularly in advancing e-governance initiatives to boost operational efficiency within the State House and its affiliated agencies.
Themed “Delineation of Roles and Functions Between the Management and the Agency and Its Supervising Entity: A Prerequisite for Good Relationship and Effective Delivery of Mandate,” the retreat highlighted the government’s commitment to ensuring that the budget process aligns with the core mandates of each agency, aiming for greater efficiency and accountability in the 2025 fiscal year.
“This is a very important retreat to remind senior civil servants, new appointees, and Heads of Agencies about Civil Service regulations,” Shettima stated. He underscored the significance of adhering to procedural governance issues, citing his experience in the Senate Public Accounts Committee, where officials were often summoned to address concerns raised by the Auditor-General’s report.
State House Permanent Secretary, Olufunsho Adebiyi, provided an overview of the retreat, explaining that it was designed to foster collaboration and synergy among the State House and the agencies under its supervision. “In order for us to drive the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it has become necessary for us to synergize within the State House and all the agencies under its control,” Adebiyi said. He emphasized the importance of clearly defining roles and responsibilities to avoid crossing financial, procurement, and administrative thresholds.
Adebiyi also addressed recent developments, including the new minimum wage approved by President Tinubu, noting that the government will no longer tolerate mass recruitment into agencies without approval or waiver, as well as preferential promotions. He highlighted the introduction of new public service rules that clearly define the procedures for promotions and strict adherence to these regulations.
The retreat, the first of its kind under the current administration, also focused on the need for strict enforcement of government policies and sanctions for non-compliant agencies. Participants discussed various aspects of public service appointments, procurement procedures, budget preparation, and the monitoring and evaluation of government policies.
The agencies under the supervision of the State House include the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), Nigeria Agriculture and Land Development Agency (NALDA), Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President (OCEAP), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Other agencies include the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), National Centre for the Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanism, National Council on Climate Change (NATCCC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and the National Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC).
