FGis Employing ways to tackle Poverty through ERPG- Udoma
Minister of Budget and National Planning Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, has stated that the present administration under President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to move people out of poverty in many more ways through the imports of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP)
The minister disclosed this on Monday, October 22, 2018 during the opening of the 24th Nigerian Economic Summit which has the theme “Poverty to Prosperity: Making Government and Institutions Work’
The summit is organized annually by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) in collaboration with the Ministry if Budget and National Planning.
Speaking on the summit”s theme, Udoma explained that. ” the topic provides another opportunity for us to examine the progress we are making in the achievement of the programmes, policies and objectives of the ERGP. This is because the ERGP specifically deals with particular subject in it which states, ‘Good governance at all levels is crucial for the success of the ERGP”
He further stated that the ERGP will improve governance by entrenching transparency and fighting corruption; reinforcing security, reforming the public service, and strengthening coordination with sub-national governments’.
Accordingly, he pointed out that ERGP specifically maps out strategies to improve governance by institutionalizing transparency, accountability, fighting corruption, improving security, reforming the public service, and strengthening coordination with sub-national governments.
” We, at the Federal level,are working closely with the States through the National Economic Council (NEC) to strengthen the coordination required for enhanced implementation of the governance components of the ERGP, including monitoring the progress of States’ implementation of the 22-point Fiscal Sustainability Plan (FSP)” he said.
Acvording to the Minister, government has amongst other reforms, introduced a 4-year strategic plan for Civil Service Reform which is being coordinated by the Head of Service. This aims to drive innovation in service and institutionalise a performance management system that is citizen oriented.
In the same vein, to add crdence to the commitment of government to effective reforms, Udoma explained that the President has also introduced some Executive Orders to improve service delivery and enhance transparency. These include an Executive Order on Promoting Procurement by Government Agencies; an Executive Order on Improving Efficiency in the Business Environment; and an Executive Order on Promotion of Nigerian content in contracts in Science, Engineering and Technology.
Senator Udoma, explained that the ERGP has clearly dealt with good governance at all levels of government as a crucial aspect of the plan, stating that promoting transparency and accountability, and fighting corruption are among the the key objectives the ERGP captured essentially
He further stated that government’s faithful implementation of the Plan has led Nigeria out of recession, pointing out that projects that turned around the economy and also created direct jobs were given all the deserved attention and support.
Through the Focus Labs initiative, the minister said, investments in agriculture, manufactuting, oil and gas with potentials of creating over 20,000 direct jobs were identified and all necessary support given by the government and also efforts are still ongoing to advance achieving more results in those areas that have been identified.
“Our ERGP plan is very clear but we can always improve delivery of the objectives.
To achieve this we will continue to invest in our people, government will continue to do more in it’s social investment programme. This is what the President is committed to do” , he said.
