Lagos State Government Making Steady Progress Ensure Full Automation Of Financial Management Processes

Lagos State Accountant-General and Permanent Secretary, State Treasury Office (STO), Dr. Abiodun Muritala has affirmed that the State Government is making steady progress in its quest to attain full automation of its financial processes since the automation process started some years ago.

He stated this on Tuesday when a delegation from Borno State led by the Commissioner for Finance, Hon. Adamu Alhaji Lawan visited Lagos to understudy the digitisation of Lagos Financial Management Process with the intention of replicating the same in Borno State.

Dr. Abiodun, while explaining the successes recorded by Lagos State in its automation processes, identified the key role which the introduction of Oracle Software plays in easing financial transactions in the State and in eliminating gaps and transaction loopholes.

Speaking on how the Lagos State Government integrated IT into the processes of its financial transaction, a Deputy Director from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Jimoh Wasiu told the Borno State delegates to be deliberate in ensuring the sustainability plan when implementing their Modernised Financial and Data Management System.

He said: “In adopting IT, System Integration is one of the challenges to watch out for. This is important because every agency of government that works manually now must be able to work on the system communicating with one another”.

The Commissioner for Finance, Borno State, Hon. Adamu Alhaji Lawan, said that the Borno State Government had put in place some preliminary steps that will help the smooth take-off of the Modernisation of Financial and Data Management System (MOFIDAMS).

According to him, the Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, is very passionate about MOFIDAMS and he is ready to give the political support that will that make the implementation stage seamless, stressing that the approval be granted for the delegates to understudy Lagos State is a testament to the Governor’s interest in the Data Management System.
He identified the need for adequate stakeholders’ engagement with political heads and continuous sensitisation of Borno State Public servants as a whole to embrace the initiative as it will save time and resources and will help attain an effective and efficient public service.

The Permanent Secretary, Borno State Ministry of Finance, Maryam Shehu sought continuous partnership with the Lagos State Government, saying that the visit was not the first as earlier visits were to understudy LASTMA and LAWMA.

She stated that the introduction of the Modernisation of Financial and Data Management System (MOFIDAMS) for Borno State was a result of an intervention of the European Union Trust Fund through the World Bank, to enable Borno State Government to have full deployment of a robust Financial and Data Management System.

Other members of the delegation from Borno State are Baba Bura Usman, Accountant General; Babazanna AbdulKarim, Project Coordinator, MOFIDAMS; Umar Ali Ka’ana, Focal Person, MOFIDAMS; Shehu Yakubu Gana Project Manager MOFIDAMS; Bulama Mulima, Procurement Officer MOFIDAMS and Shamsudeen Mohammed Head, ICT, MOFIDAMS.