The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has called on Nigerians to recommit themselves to the principles of accountability, transparency, and national integrity as fundamental to the country’s progress.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Bamidele Salam, gave the charge in Abuja on Thursday at the close of the 2025 National Conference on Public Accounts and Fiscal Governance, jointly organized by the Public Accounts Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Salam, who represents Ede North/Ede South/Ejigbo/Egbedore Federal Constituency in Osun State, emphasized that combating corruption, fiscal mismanagement, and weak governance structures requires not just government action, but the active and honest participation of citizens.
“If we truly want a greater Nigeria, the responsibility lies with every one of us,” he said. “I doubt if there’s anyone who can claim absolute freedom from the obligations and challenges we’ve discussed in the last few days.”
He urged participants to leave the conference with a renewed sense of duty and a clear understanding that meaningful governance reform starts with individual and institutional integrity.
“As we return to our various destinations, let us take home the message that it is time for a new breath of fresh air in our public service. That includes a renewed commitment to rules, regulations, and best practices in all that we do,” Salam added.
He also hinted at the possibility of institutionalizing the conference as an annual event, noting that the final decision would rest with both chambers of the National Assembly.
“Once the outcomes of this conference are reviewed, we will take an informed decision on the way forward,” he stated.
On his part, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Ahmed Wadada, urged Nigerians to rise above ethnic, religious, and regional biases and unite in the fight for transparent and accountable governance.
“The responsibility of keeping Nigeria either entirely corruption-free or minimally corrupt lies on all of us,” he said. “It is a shared duty that must transcend ethnic, religious, or regional affiliations.”
Senator Wadada decried the tendency among some citizens to inject personal sentiments into national issues, particularly in public service and policymaking.
He warned that such attitudes could hinder Nigeria’s growth and weaken efforts at reform.
“None of us thinks about our neighbour’s religion or ethnicity when we sit down to eat together. But when it comes to the discharge of official duties, sentiments begin to interfere, and that should not be,” he observed.
He called on participants to study the presentations and policy papers shared at the conference, saying it would enable them to meaningfully contribute to the national dialogue on reform and accountability.
The conference brought together lawmakers, technocrats, civil society actors, and public servants to deliberate on ways to strengthen Nigeria’s fiscal governance and public accountability mechanisms.
