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NEPAD Nigeria Calls For Effective Co-Ordination In The Federal
System
Newsdiaryonline Sat Sep 17,2011
The
Special Adviser to the President on New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD), Ambassador Tunji Olagunju, has called for
effective co-ordination, collaboration and partnership in the
Federal System.
According
to statement by Bisi Agbonhin
deputy director (Media)
NEPAD Nigeria,
Olagunju asserted that to deepen and broaden
participation of citizens in the nation’s development planning
process, there must be a synergy between ownership and service
delivery. This he affirmed can only improve if the government
plan with, and not for the citizens, just as he observed that
participatory democracy is sacrosant with good governance.
Olagunju stated this at
the 11th Annual Conference of Directors of Planning,
Research and Statistics (PRS) in the Public Service which held
in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Amb.
Olagunju said the transformation Agenda of President Jonathan
must be owned by the people for it to be realizable and that its
content must involve due emphasis on good governance practices.
He
challenged the participants to aspire, develop, domesticate and
transmit universal values of good governance in addition to
creating the necessary information and management capabilities
that could endear transparency, accountability and outcome-based
service delivery.
The
Special Adviser maintained that it is their duty as engine room
in the implementation of government policies and programmes to
put in place appropriate template that could produce timely and
regular collection of data for periodic reporting of progress in
plan and project implementation.
He
stated that NEPAD Nigeria had established an effective liaison
with both the National Planning Commission and the Office of the
Head of Civil Service of the Federation, adding that there is
already collaboration with the Governor’s Forum on State Peer
Review. That exercise has worked out steps which are aimed at
adopting international best practices and fostering good
governance at the second-tier of government.
Dr.
Olagunju emphasized that most of the reforms which are being
undertaken at the national level must cascade to the State and
Local Governments if the nation is to derive maximum output and
outcomes from them.
......Challenges
DPRS To Design Appropriate
Templates For Progress Reporting
Directors of Planning, Research and
Statistics (PRS) as custodians of planning processes in the
country have been asked to design appropriate templates that
could produce timely and regular collection of data for periodic
reporting of progress in plan implementation.
This was the challenge of the
Special Adviser to the President on the New Partnership
for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Ambassador Tunji Olagunju, at
the 11th Annual Conference of the Directors of PRS
which held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
He said that their “responsibility must lay
emphasis on good governance practices”, and asked them to create
the necessary information and management capabilities that would
engrain transparency, accountability and outcome-based service
delivery.
Amb. Olagunju said the NEPAD Agenda has
identified the absence of good governance practices as the bane
of Nigeria’s past efforts at development, and currently towards
achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He added that NEPAD laid emphasis on three
core policy areas. These areas, he identified as firstly, that
members states must pay special attention to maintenance of
peace, security and good political governance; secondly, that
critical sectors such as Agriculture, Energy, Transport and ICT
infrastructures including Human Resources Development
particularly in health and education require special attention;
and thirdly, effective mobilisation of domestic savings and
investments as well as efficient management of public revenue
and expenditure are also critical.
The Special Adviser to the President
confirmed that the NEPAD Agenda had been captured in Nigeria’s
Vision 20: 20-20 and that the Transformation Agenda of the
Jonathan Administration is in tune with the ideas and ideals of
the office.
He reiterated that NEPAD will leave no stone
unturned in the implementation of its three core areas.
Amb. Olagunju also mentioned that under the
NEPAD framework, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) had
been applauded internationally as a useful instrument due to its
focus on processes that address issues of corruption, poor
governance and inefficient service delivery of public goods and
services to the people.
The APRM is a periodic assessment instrument
that seeks to supervise the National Programmes of Action which
are derivable from the Country Self-Assessment Review, he added.
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