Partnership with DFID Accelerates Governance Reforms in Yobe, Says  Gaidam

Yobe State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, has credited partnership with the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) as having a ‘positive impact’ on the governance system in the state, saying it has led to the adoption of a ‘Result-Based Management (RBM) system’ which is guiding the state’s socio-economic reform agenda.

Gaidam spoke yesterday at the opening of a two-day workshop organised by the Bureau for Public Procurement in collaboration with DFID to sensitise officials in the executive, legislative and judiciary branches of the state government on Yobe’s Procurement Law.

The governor said some of the reform of his administration included the institutionalisation of comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation system (M&E) to track budget performance and the development of Medium-Term Sector Strategies (MTSS), Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) for financing various sector plans, adoption of budget classification and chart of accounts.

“As part of the effort to internalise the lessons learnt through collaboration with DFID”, the governor added, “our administration has made it mandatory for ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to conduct their activities in a transparent manner. This has checked the diversion of funds, misappropriation, revenue leakages, and misuse of public funds.”

These efforts, according to the governor, led to the establishment of the State Board of Fiscal Responsibility and the Bureau for Public Procurement.
With the take off of the Bureau for Public Procurement, the governor explained, the activities of the defunct State Tenders Board has been decentralised.

“This implies that each ministry, department and agency as well as local government councils would have their procurement planning committees and tenders board.
“This will ensure effective participation of all key stakeholders in the procurement process and enable them understand and internalise public procurement best practices,” he said.

Gaidam commended the Bureau for Public Procurement for organising the workshop, saying it would be a significant step in mapping out new strategies to curtail unnecessary expenditure in the conduct of government business especially as it relates to the award and execution of contracts.
The governor also lauded the DFID for helping Yobe to record greater successes in its governance reform effort.

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