A civil society organization in Nigeria has called on the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) to review the centralised payment structure under the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), warning that it is slowing budget implementation across Government institutions.
The appeal was made by the Civil Society Budget Implementation Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee in a letter submitted to the OAGF after a peaceful protest in Abuja on Monday.
The letter, signed by CBIAMEC chairman Splendour Agbonkpolor, said the current centralised payment process was creating administrative bottlenecks that were affecting Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Agbonkpolor acknowledged the importance of financial oversight but argued that the system had led to delayed payments, disrupted project timelines and cash flow difficulties for contractors.
According to him, MDAs previously operated a decentralised payment arrangement under GIFMIS, where Accounting Officers could process and complete payments within existing financial controls. He said the move to a centralised structure had slowed project execution, increased costs and reduced efficiency in public service delivery.
The group further argued that the arrangement conflicts with provisions of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations and the Public Procurement Act 2007, which assign responsibility for expenditure management to Accounting Officers within MDAs.
CBIAMEC called for the restoration of payment authority to MDAs while maintaining Treasury oversight and audit mechanisms. The organisation also recommended the introduction of clear payment approval timelines, stronger digital audit trails and enhanced compliance monitoring to improve transparency and accountability.
It further urged the government to involve civil society groups, contractors and procurement experts in any review of the payment system, stressing that aligning financial authority with accountability would support effective budget implementation and economic growth.