The Ag. Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Habiba Lawal represented by the Permanent Secretary Special Duties Office, Mr. William Alo has stated that payments for contracts under the Zonal Intervention/Constituency projects will be made based on satisfactory performance in order to ensure value for money.
Dr. Lawal gave the charge during the stakeholders’ interactive Forum on the implementation of Zonal Intervention/Constituency Projects held at the Merit House Auditorium in Abuja.
She said, Contractors handling Zonal Intervention/Constituency projects shall only be paid upon authorization by the OSGF, urging MDAs for co-operation to carry out the important exercise diligently and effectively, in order to ensure accountability and transparency.
The SGF also stated that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are responsible for the actual implementation of these projects while the OSGF will monitor, evaluate, verify implementation and authorize payment at various stages of execution.
She reiterated that the intervention by the Executive to situate the supervision of the Constituency projects in the OSGF was aimed at ensuring that these projects are not abandoned even when members of the National Assembly facilitating them leave office.
Read Also:
She added that the task of ensuring the realization of this objective is a joint responsibility of the OSGF and all implementing MDAs. According to her, the stakeholders in this onerous task include members of the National Assembly and the relevant MDAs. This drives home the need for stakeholders’ effective collaboration to ensure synergy in the execution, monitoring, evaluation and verification of the projects.
In line with the restructuring of some Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) by the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Special Duties Office is now saddled with the responsibility of the defunct Federal Ministry of Special Duties & Inter-Governmental Affairs which was overseeing the implementation of Zonal Intervention / Constituency projects among other responsibilities.
This stakeholders’ interactive forum, she said is to brief participants on the critical roles expected of MDAs as well as provide guidelines on effective monitoring, evaluation and verification for payment of Zonal Intervention / Constituency Projects nationwide.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties Office (SDO) Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) Mr. William Alo represented by the Director Policy Implementation and Monitoring Of Government Decision (PIMGD), Mrs. Annette Asugha said that part of the aim of the forum is to enhance working relationship as partners in the implementation of the Zonal Intervention/Constituency Projects and Programmes.
He solicited the support of the National Assembly to ensure that the Zonal Intervention/Constituency projects actually serve as the channel for the expeditious delivery of democracy dividends to the grassroots across the nation.
Oshodin P.O (Mrs)
Director (Press)
