TSA: Nigeria’s Firewall Against Fiscal Leakages, Foreign Dependence – Okafor

A public policy analyst and co-founder of Policy Shapers, Comfort Adaora Okafor, has described the Treasury Single Account (TSA) as Nigeria’s strongest institutional safeguard against fiscal leakages and overreliance on foreign reform models.

Okafor, who also serves as a board member of Policy Alert and has contributed to policy design and institutional accountability under the USAID–Palladium Growth Initiative for Fiscal Transparency, said the TSA stands as proof that complex governance reforms can be successfully designed and implemented within Nigeria’s institutional framework.

She noted in a statement that Nigeria’s reform discourse often reflects a persistent bias toward imported solutions, particularly in public finance and institutional design, despite growing evidence of local capacity and innovation.

“There is a recurring assumption that complex governance challenges require foreign templates. But the TSA demonstrates that indigenous systems, built within our administrative and banking realities, can deliver measurable and sustainable results. She policy analyst stated”

According to her, the TSA was introduced to address the long-standing fragmentation of government revenues across thousands of accounts with limited central oversight. By consolidating public funds into a unified structure, the system has significantly improved transparency, cash management, and fiscal visibility.

She further explained that government cash balances are now centrally monitored, transaction flows are more traceable, and fiscal authorities operate with clearer oversight of public resources outcomes she described as both practical and verifiable.

Okafor argued that weakening the cash centralisation framework at a time of revenue constraints and mounting debt pressures would amount to a structural setback.

She said, “The constraint is not technical capacity. The TSA proves we have the expertise. What is required is sustained political will to protect and strengthen reforms against vested interests.”

The policy shaper further observed that Nigeria’s experience with treasury consolidation has attracted attention beyond its borders, positioning the TSA as a reference point in broader public financial management discussions.

For her, the reform’s significance goes beyond administrative efficiency. It represents institutional confidence , proof that domestic expertise, when backed by resolve, can secure national resources and reduce dependency on external prescriptions.

Okafor called on policymakers, civil society actors, media professionals, and finance experts to safeguard the gains recorded under the TSA framework.

“The narrative must shift from skepticism about local capacity to recognition of demonstrated competence,” she said. “Safeguarding every naira is not just an operational goal; it is a national imperative.”

She maintained that protecting and expanding the TSA remains critical to strengthening fiscal discipline, enhancing accountability, and ensuring that public resources are directed toward infrastructure, services, and development priorities.