Federal government has taken the decision to end funding of professional bodies/councils from its statutory budget as part of its measures to conserve more revenues for other expenses. The Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS) took the decision at its 13th meeting that was recently held in Abuja. According to a circular that was signed by director-general of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, the presidential council approved the discontinuation of budgetary allocation to the professional bodies/councils effective 1st January, 2024.
“I wish to inform you that, the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS) at its 13th meeting approved the discontinuation of budgetary allocation to Professional Bodies/Councils effective 1st January, 2024,” Akabueze said in the letter.
“The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to inform you that, in compliance with PCs’s directive, this Office will no longer make budgetary provisions to your institution, which means that you will be regarded henceforth as a self-funded organisation,” Akabueze wrote.
The affected organisations include Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, Medical and Dental Council, Nigerian Teachers Council, Nigerian Press Council and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.
Akabueze added that from January 1, all affected professional bodies will be “fully responsible for your personnel, overhead and capital expenditures”.
Professional bodies in Nigeria are largely responsible for research and technology development in their fields, relying on government funding to conduct ethical reviews and propose and promote new professional standards.
The withdrawal of funding could trigger worry that the standards and development gap which they bridge may be undermined by weak and loosely enforced government regulations that would come in their place.
