Michael Olugbode in Damaturu
Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has assured the state that his administration would sustain the leadership position in due process, transparency and accountability in government transactions in the country.
The governor made the promise in a response to the state winning the Overall Top Performer Award on State Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS), a World Bank project.
Buni, while receiving the award from the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed,
said his administration would continue to promote transparency and accountability in governance in order to have value for money on all expenditures.
He said: “We are a state with low revenue and in dire need of infrastructure and services; we have to use our resources judiciously and transparently to achieve our set targets to improve the lives of our people.”
The governor commended the civil servants who believe and share the vision and mission of his administration.
According to him, “I want to specially appreciate our civil servants who are the implementers of government policies and programmes, and for being on the same page with the government to achieve this great feat.”
Yobe State was presented with the top performer overall best state in the country at a dinner organised for the 36 state governors last week in Abuja.
The state performance in All Disbursement Link Indicators scored the overall best state for the ‘Top Performer Award’
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, who spoke on behalf of the federal government, applauded the state governments for their performance in the ongoing SFTAS programme and producing positive results.
She said the federal government was delighted that the $1.5 billion SFTAS programme supported by the World Bank has promoted institutionalisation of fiscal reforms in the states.
The minister said the federal government celebrated the success of the SFTAS programme and the presentation of the awards to best performing states in the successive Annual Performance Assessments to spur the states to do more.
Other Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) of the State Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability programme include citizen-based budgets, timely preparation and publication of annual budgets and audited financial statements, as well as adoption of the National Chart of Account.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of Yobe State Bureau for Public Procurement, Alhaji Samaila Mai Adamu, has attributed the rating of the state as the Overall Best Top Performer state by SFTAS to the leadership role of Governor Buni on due process.
