The Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, has called on African lawmakers to unite in confronting fiscal leakages that continue to undermine economic growth across the continent.
Speaking at a continental parliamentary forum on Monday, Abbas warned that unchecked revenue leakages—ranging from tax evasion and illicit financial flows to corruption in procurement and public finance—were draining Africa’s resources and hampering sustainable development.
“Every year, Africa loses billions of dollars that could otherwise be invested in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and security,” Abbas said. “As parliamentarians, we have a duty to strengthen laws, oversight mechanisms, and institutions to block these leakages.”
The Speaker urged legislative bodies across Africa to embrace fiscal transparency and enhance collaboration in curbing illicit financial flows. He also stressed the need for harmonized tax policies and stronger enforcement of anti-corruption laws.
Abbas further noted that Nigeria’s National Assembly was already taking steps to improve accountability in revenue generation and budget implementation, citing recent legislative reforms on revenue remittance and public financial management.
Participants at the forum commended Abbas’ intervention, agreeing that fiscal leakages remain a shared challenge across African states. They pledged to explore regional partnerships aimed at building capacity for oversight, strengthening financial intelligence networks, and ensuring better tracking of public funds.
Analysts say Abbas’ call aligns with growing concerns among African leaders that the continent’s development agenda will remain stalled unless the hemorrhage of resources is curtailed.
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