Oyo Assembly Calls for Establishment of CivicPay and State Central Revenue Account (SCRA)
The Oyo State House of Assembly has called for the establishment of a State Central Revenue Account (SCRA) and a unified digital payment platform, CivicPay, aimed to enhance transparency and accountability in revenue collection and service delivery.
This call was contained in a motion moved by the lawmaker representing Oriire State Constituency, Honorable Johnson Akintola Ogundele and seconded by Rt.Hon E.A Ogundoyin (Ibarapa East), Honorables S.A Onaolapo(Ogbomoso South), O.S Babalola( Egbeda) and B.G Adebayo( Ibadan North II) on the call for the Establishmemt of CivicPay and the State Central Revenue Account (SCRA); A Unified Government Digital Treasury System to Enhance Transparency and Accountability in Revenue Collection, and Service Delivery in Oyo State
The lawmaker noted that effective revenue collection and financial transparency are foundational to the socio-economic development of any State.
According to him, as global best practices evolve, governments across countries such as India, Kenya, Ghana, Sri Lanka, and the Federal Government of Nigeria (through Remita) have deployed integrated digital payment platforms that allow citizens to pay taxes, levies, penalties, and access government services efficiently, while significantly reducing leakages, corruption, and circulation of physical cash.
Ogundele noted that Oyo State Government currently lacks a centralized public revenue system, resulting in fragmented payment processes and a lack of real-time oversight.
To address this, he said, there is an urgent need to establish a State Central Revenue Account (SCRA) — a unified treasury structure where all government revenues are consolidated, and from which disbursements are controlled.
While maintaining that a digital payment platform will enable all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to collect and process payments through a single, centralized system, the lawmaker noted that citizens and residents will be able to pay for government-related services, levies, dues, and fines using digital channels such as mobile apps, USSD, online banking, and card payments automated teller machine (ATM) integration, ensuring seamless, cashless revenue collection.
He said the current decentralized payment structure in many MDAs, contributes to financial inefficiencies, reduced accountability, revenue loss, corrupt practices and non-remittance.
According to him, a centrally managed and automated system directly linked to the proposed State Central Revenue Account (SCRA), will significantly curb leakages and provide real-time reporting to the Office of the Accountant-General, the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Governor.
He added: “Further aware that platforms such as Remita by the Federal Government of Nigeria and UPI in India have successfully demonstrated how digital integration can revolutionize public financial management by increasing payment convenience, reducing transaction costs, and enhancing public trust. Oyo State stands to gain substantially by adopting a locally adapted version of such systems in line with its digital transformation agenda.
“Observes that implementing a CivicPay and the SCRA will modernize Oyo State’s internal revenue collection system, simplify citizen interaction with government services, and provide real-time data for better fiscal planning and decision-making, while reducing manual processes and enhancing service delivery to residents.”
Passing the resolution, the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, urged the Executive Arm of Government through the Oyo State Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the Accountant General’s Office and the Oyo State Internal Revenue Service (OYSIRS) to commence the creation and operationalization of a State Central Revenue Account (SCRA) within the next 3 months, to serve as the central treasury repository for all state-collected revenue.
Also, that the Oyo State Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the Accountant General’s Office and the Oyo State Internal Revenue Service (OYSIRS), to initiate the design and deployment of a centralized multi-channel payment platform, to be known as CivicPay, within the next 6 months, integrating all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and Local Government Areas (LGAs) to ensure that all payments due to the government are collected electronically and automatically remitted into the State Central Revenue Account (SCRA).
The House mandates all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to onboard onto CivicPay within 9 months of deployment, enabling the issuance of invoices, permits, and receipts exclusively through the platform or platform generated proof of payments to eliminate informal or manual cash handling.
The Speaker urged the Executive Government to partner with reputable financial technology firms to provide secure, scalable, and inclusive multi-channel payment infrastructure including bank transfers, mobile apps, online wallets, card payments, and USSD channels accessible across both urban and rural communities.
Also, that the CivicPay platform be made to integrate real-time reconciliation, automated receipting, QR-code-enabled payment references, and dashboard reporting, allowing the Office of the Accountant General, Auditor General, and each MDA to monitor revenue flow, detect anomalies, and track performance seamlessly.
The House equally posited that a public awareness campaign be launched within 3 months prior to CivicPay’s rollout, sensitizing citizens, businesses, and civil servants on the benefits and proper use of the platform, while promoting digital compliance. And that an inter-agency oversight and implementation committee be established within the next 3 months, comprising representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Accountant-General’s Office, Ministry of Justice, Oyo State Internal Revenue Service, and the State House of Assembly, to oversee the creation of the SCRA, CivicPay’s design and rollout, and to monitor its effectiveness over time.