The Director-General (D-G), Budget Office, Mr. Ben Akabueze, has counseled the federal government on timely audit reports by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

Speaking at the presentation of the 2021 Open Budget Survey report, in Abuja yesterday, Akabueze said: “Government has over the past several years undertaken a number of reforms in the public finance space which have culminated in the significant improvements we can now report.

“Nigeria posted its best performance in the Open Budget Survey, improving by 24 points for transparency in the latest Open Budget Survey. The total transparency score of 45 in the 2021 survey, is a significant leap from the 21 scored in the 2019 survey.

“The outcome of the 2021 Open Budget Survey is one that signposts our commitment to continuous reform efforts.

“We are optimistic about our reform plans considering the positive outlook and look forward to better-improved scores in the next round of the survey.

“We shall explore available opportunities to streamline processes and leverage technology where necessary to improve the PFM ecosystem in Nigeria.”