Kano govt moves to ensure fiscal discipline, tasks staff on financial statement

The Kano state Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Kabiru Dandago, has said that the state government under the leadership of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje attaches high premium to fiscal discipline and accountability.

Speaking at a retreat on the validation of the state's 2014/2015 Financial statement in Kaduna over the weekend, the commissioner explained that unlike other states of the federation, Kano state has tasked its staff to produce the government financial statement in its effort to save cost and show that staffs in the state are talented.

He said, "The governor in a bid to carry everyone along in his administration tasked staff of the financial sector to produce an in house financial statement instead of engaging consultants at the expense of the state thereby reducing cost and developing the man power of the staff.

"The participants are drawn from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget and Planning, the Public Account Committee and Finance Committee of the House of Assembly and we have done a lot of brainstorming with a view to validating the financial statement and the committee is putting machinery in motion to ensure that the 2016 financial statement which should be in line with the accrual basis accounting is produced in good time because the statements up to 2015 are on cash basis accounting,".

Highlighting some of the features of the statement, he said, "The financial statement normally as per the International Public Sector Accounting Standard will be made up off balance sheet, income and expenditure statement, cash flow statement, value added income statement, consolidated revenue fund and capital fund amongst others."

He also noted that the ministry has introduced a Town Hall meeting to showcase prudence, transparency and accountability of the present administration with a view to creating awareness on the financial programmes in the state.