The Federal Ministry of Finance is responsible for the management and control of all finances of the Federal Government as prescribed by the constitution of the country.

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Babalola Lists Fundamentals For a New Prosperous Nigerian Nation
Monday, February 15, 2010 Babalola Lists Fundamentals For a New Prosperous Nigerian Nation …N1.8 Trillion Petroleum Subsidies Not Sustainable In The Long-Run The Honourable Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola, on Monday identified transformational leadership, physical infrastructure development, macroeconomic stability and the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector, among others, as very fundamental for a new prosperous Nigerian Nation. He listed other fundamentals to include: rule of law, accountability and transparency; governance reforms, enhance human capital development, and employment-oriented development strategy. The minister made this known at the 2010 edition of the Oba Oladele Olashore Annual Lecture held at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. Babalola, who was the guest speaker at this year’s lecture, stated that what the nation requires were positive action, superior performance and efficient service delivery. “We need to urgently build a capable state wherein peace, security and private enterprise are guaranteed over a sustained period. “This requires an enabling political and legal environment for economic growth and equitable wealth distribution with sound macro-economic management, institutional reform and overhaul in human capital development,” he noted in his speech titled “The Paradox of a Nation: A Socio-Economic Perspective”. On leadership, Babalola noted that what Nigeria desires is a transformational leadership with shared purpose and vision and not transactional leadership fashioned in the prebendal sharing of excess crude, federation account earnings, rent seeking and crony capitalism. He said, “As long as we keep having followership that demands patronage, handouts and favours, our search for true leadership will be long and winding. “The remedies to the maladies confronting our polity cannot be found within the context of the government alone. There is the need for all stakeholders in the Nigerian nation to be alive to their responsibilities.” On physical infrastructure, he explained that the existence of a huge resource gap for government had thrown up the urgent need for alternative funding source for infrastructure. According to the minister, an estimated investment of US$100 billion would be needed in key infrastructure areas over the next five years. He assured of government’s priority on infrastructure, as he noted that the issue of funding of infrastructural projects was being addressed through public private partnership (PPP). On deregulation, Babalola disclosed that the diversion of scarce resources in the form of petroleum subsidies, which amounted to N1.8 trillion in the last four years, was not sustainable in the long-run. He noted that the nation spent over N1.2 trillion on subsidies for petroleum products between 2006 and 2008; while the subsidies accounted for over N600 billion in 2009. “Therefore, full deregulation of the oil and gas sector remains very imperative. This will encourage investment in refining and marketing infrastructures. “The legal and regulatory framework for the comprehensive reform of this sector is currently being considered by the National Assembly,” said Babalola, who chairs the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting. The minister canvassed better fiscal and monetary policy coordination to engender macroeconomic stability. He asserted that the huge fluctuations and unpredictability in the price level, exchange rate, interest rate and tax burden were major deterrents to private investment which is the driver of growth. He also called for the establishment of framework like Sovereign Wealth Fund for the management of oil savings currently in excess crude account. “This comes with clear rules on investment and withdrawal rather than the current practice of strong lobbying for sharing,” he added. END This news was created on 2/15/2010