The umbrella body for private employers, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), on Wednesday in Lagos, warned that the newly introduced Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy by the Federal Government would cripple the operations of self-funding and service-rendering parastatals with statutory responsibilities to deliver public goods and services.
Specifically, among others, NECA contended that the responsibilities of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) that manages Employee Compensation Scheme (ECS); Industrial Training Fund (ITF) responsible for training funds reimbursements and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) that is saddled with payments of capitations and other obligations to health management organizations (HMOs) and, in effect, care providers have been highly curtailed by TSA.
Mr. Segun Oshinowo, Director-General of NECA, at a gathering of stakeholders, called for the exemption of NSITF, ITF, NHIS and similar bodies as done to Bank of Industry (BoI), Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to enable them deliver effective services to the public.
According to him: “The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued a circular directing all deposit money banks to implement the e-collection platform deployed by the Federal Government to support the collection and remittance of all government revenue to a consolidated account domiciled with CBN.
“This marked the beginning of the full implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA) scheme in Nigeria.
Adavantages
“Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), as the voice of business commends the initiative as it provides the mechanism for proper monitoring of government receipts and expenditure.
“We do not doubt that TSA will help to block most, if not all, leakages that have been the bane of the growth of the economy.
“The only snag in the new dispensation is that the activities of self-funding and service-rendering parastatals, with statutory responsibilities to deliver public goods and services, have been highly curtailed if not paralysed.
Calls for exemption
“The funds of these agencies should not be treated as revenue to government as the Acts setting them up mandate the agencies to render annual income and expenditure on the funds in their custody.
“We, therefore, canvass that the exemption that has been given to agencies such as BoI; BoA and FMBN should be extended to similar agencies and parastatals.”
-Vanguard