By Remi Adebayo.
The revolution anchored on the message of change was timely as Nigeria was headed on a perilous path requiring urgent intervention. Muhammadu Buhari, four time presidential candidate took the last shot, and a defining one.
It was obvious that the nation was ripe for change, having reversed to a point where corruption was assuming kleptomanic trend, voting for a man, whose antecedents were the certificate required to restore the nation to order and accountability became the order.
Charting the path for his government in a highly challenged economy, already battered by the free fall of the prices of crude oil and endemic corruption, only a disciplined government led by Buhari could sail through such difficult period.
President Muhammadu Buhari has not for once hidden his passion to fight corruption, believed to be the bane of the Nigerian nation.
In doing this, all loopholes must be blocked while pursuing various legal processes to bring looters of public treasury into justice.
Capturing the mind of the President is the Honourable Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, in a speech during a media briefing on Tuesday, January 26, where he said,
"We all know that ICT is now redefining how we live, how we do business, how services are delivered both in terms of Government to Government; as well as between Government and Citizens.
"The time has now come to leverage the bountiful opportunities in the Communications Sector to generate additional revenue for government, now that the prices of oil have been on rapid decline at the international market, create employment for our teaming youths, improve access and enhance quality of service delivery and affordability in the country. Undoubtedly, this will ultimately enhance transparency and good governance in line with our CHANGE agenda on which this government rode into power," he said.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the advent of the information technology has changed the global space.
When President Muhammadu Buhari directed all government ministries, departments and agencies to immediately join the Treasury Single Account (TSA) scheme with September 15 timeline in 2015, it was greeted with commendations among the people.
The TSA is one intervention through which payment and collection is made centrally to the coffers of government.
It is worth noting that the company behind this feat is an indigenous company that has been widely misunderstood in view of misconception around its earnings.
SystemSpecs, fully owned by Nigerians is the copyright owner of Remita, a software designed to provide shared services technology platform for companies, individuals, government agencies and banks to make and receive payment with ease.
And through its technology savvy minds, Remita is integrated with all commercial banks in Nigeria including over 500 OFIs, ERP systems and portals of many organisations for the stated purpose.
Contrary to belief in some quarters, Remita indeed passed through rigorous processes before beating other firms, comprising of foreign ICT providers before it was selected to provide the electronic payment technology to power the Federal Government's Treasury Single Account initiative.
The process which began in October 2011 included an open, competitive and due process evaluation involving the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), with support from their foreign consultants.
On December 14, 2011, the contract between CBN and SystemSpecs for the provision of Remita as the gateway for the payment and collection of government revenue was inked in an event where the Deputy Operations and the Director ICT signed for the CBN while the Executive Directors Business Development and Technology Services signed for SystemSpecs.
Prior to the engagement of Remita by the CBN and the OAGF in 2011 to implement the TSA initiative of the Federal Government, the apex bank had written to the OAGF foreclosing the feasibility of the project due to inadequate technology, even from their foreign options.
After competitive presentations at three different times, the evaluation panel became convinced that a wholly Nigerian conceived and developed Remita met all the requirements highlighted by the OAGF and its foreign consultants to support the e-payment and e-collection of government receipts which is the main mandate of the TSA.
By January 2012, Remita was deployed to directly pilot 108 MDAS at commencement, and that has grown to over 900 MDAs, together with all commercial banks and over 400 Micro Finance Banks already linked to offer seamless payment to government with ease, both for the payee and government.
It is a pride to Nigeria that a fully indigenous software solution, Remita, could be chosen where others failed; and for SystemSpecs to emerge through a transparent process in a lawful and competitive business transaction for unprecedented technology solution deserves some commendations.
The Remita story is one that must be encouraged in showing the direction towards the quest for wealth creation via information technology and intellectual property, same as applicable to all development-driven nations of the world.
The benefits of Remita is in tandem with the mandate of the Buhari's administration in empowering government to electronically track and monitor all inflows and disbursements. As a result, enhancing transparency in government.
Similarly, designated officials of government can see the individual balances of all MDAs on a single screen at any time.
Also, the Remita platform helps to monitor outflows to keep and present comprehensive log of all approving officers, to whom payment is made and the purpose.
Not yet exhausted, the software allows government to centrally monitor all inflows and outflows. This also allows each MDAs to monitor whom is paying what amount, where the payment is made and the purpose for the payment.
In addition, Remita has been beneficial in ensuring online validation of receipts whereby designated officers are authorised to confirm any presented online receipt as a way to curtail fake presentation of receipts in government business transactions.
Good enough, all these processes are user friendly. In collaboration with other industry players, Remita allows payers to walk into any bank, including the growing Micro Finance Banks in Nigeria, make their cash payment and the TSA domiciled in the CBN is instantly credited.
Alternatively, payers can opt to log into the Internet Banking Platform of their banks or use their Visa, Verve, Union or MasterCard to remit payment online. Such can also be made through payers' Mobile Wallets or at Remita.net, including integrated website of participating MDAs.
The second phase for the implementation of the TSA in line with the contract, started with a meeting of stakeholders and was agreed that a fee of 2.5% be charged by stakeholders. The committee had representatives of the CBN, OAGF, banks and SystemSpecs.
The fee was rejected and pegged at 1%. This was contained in a letter written to SystemSpecs from the CBN detailing the renewed contract, together with the sharing ratio of the 1% accruals, SystemSpecs, which is the Platform Providers - 50%, collecting banks - 40% and CBN - 10%.
SystemSpecs came to the spotlight due to the accumulated accruals when President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the closure of all Federal Government's accounts held in commercial banks with September 15, 2015 as timeline.
Remittance prior to that period was scanty, however, in full compliance with the Presidential directive, the surge triggered by massive one-time collections around September and October 2015 unsettled the contract agreement, making government to demand payback and downward renegotiation of the contract with SystemSpecs.
As a result, the sum of N3,812,422,721.94, representing 50% of the 1% contracted fee was returned to the CBN in obedience to the instruction of the apex bank through its letter of October 27, 2015.
The Remita software is one of the best to happen to the anti-corruption drive of this government, in that it provides a ready working template upon which government is blocking loopholes and conduit pipes from where corruptible public officials drain the nation's resources.
In line with the roadmap clearly mapped out by the Federal Government as contained in the SMART initiative of Barr. Adebayo Shittu, SystemSpecs should be embraced as a patriotic corporate citizen positioned to answer some, if not all of the posers for which government intends to get answers.
As an indigenous firm, it is expected from government to reward excellence and protect this global brand. In the place of reprimand, SystemSpecs should be celebrated and be treated as responsible partner in the effort of government to scale up accountability in government, human capital development and job creation in this trying phase of insurgency and ethnic agitation.
Already, testimonials attesting to the success of the Remita solition is beginning to gain attention in the West African countries.
Some of our neighbouring jurisdictions are already making enquiries preparatory to them enlisting this success story to be replicated in their governments.
African countries and some of its Asian counterparts require such technology to arrest the dearth of intervention in engaging technology to combat corruption and promote good governance.
Nigeria can be spotted on the global space for achieving this creative and noble feat, this time, by exporting the "Made in Nigeria" software technology to solve global financial and remittance challenges. This is indeed a feat!
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