NUJ Warns Akwa Ibom Govt On Treasury Single Account Policy

Akwa Ibom State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has expressed concern over strict implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy by the administration of Governor Umo Eno.

The council noted that government businesses at Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) including government media, run the risk of being grounded if the policy was not given a human face.

LEADERSHIP Weekend learnt the warning by the NUJ, led by the chairman, Comrade Nsibiet Udo John, stemmed from lamentations emanating from the MDAs that the cumbersome processes of extracting liquidity from government coffers has been slowing down the ease of implementing key policies and programmes of government.

According to the union, stakeholders have warned that the policy was crippling the smooth operation of government institutions, including hospitals, schools, media organisations and other public facilities across the State.

The union, during its May Congress, called on the state government to exempt state-owned media organisations from the TSA policy to reduce operational bottlenecks affecting their efficiency and service delivery.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the congress,  jointly signed by the chairman, Udo John and the secretary, Nsikak Essenowo, the union appealed for the exemption of Pioneer Newspapers and the Akwa Ibom State Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC), arguing that the rigid centralisation of funds under the TSA system was slowing down administrative processes critical to media operations.

“The Treasury Single Account policy, introduced to promote transparency and accountability in public finance management, requires MDAs to remit revenues into a unified government account. While the policy has been praised in several states and at the federal level for blocking financial leakages and improving oversight, concerns are growing that its implementation in Akwa Ibom is affecting the day-to-day running of some institutions,” the communique noted.

Findings by our correspondent indicate that several government-owned institutions are experiencing delays in accessing operational funds for routine activities, procurement, emergency maintenance and basic administrative needs due to the bureaucratic approval process associated with TSA disbursement.

Some stakeholders in the health sector say the delays are affecting hospitals and primary healthcare facilities, especially in areas requiring urgent intervention such as the purchase of consumables, medical equipment maintenance, fueling of generators and emergency response services.

Education stakeholders have also expressed worries that schools and tertiary institutions are facing difficulties in addressing immediate operational needs, including repairs, logistics, and procurement of instructional materials, as approvals for expenditure often take longer under the centralised system.

A senior civil servant who spoke anonymously described the process as “good in principle but difficult in execution,” noting that many agencies have become financially handicapped while waiting for approvals before carrying out basic functions.

“There are institutions that generate internal revenue to solve urgent operational problems, but under TSA, they can no longer access such funds immediately without layers of approval. This has slowed service delivery in many MDAs,” the source said.

The issue has also sparked debates within public circles, with critics arguing that while the TSA policy promotes accountability, exemptions or flexible implementation mechanisms may be necessary for institutions with time-sensitive responsibilities such as hospitals, media organisations and emergency-response agencies.

Despite the concerns, supporters of the policy insist that TSA remains one of the most effective financial management reforms for preventing diversion of public funds and strengthening transparency in governance.