BAYO'S PERISCOPE

Dr. Samuel Bayo ArowolajuFriday, August 10, 2007

Special Adviser to Ekiti State Governor on Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence
[email protected]
Ado Ekiti, Nigeria


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EKITI STATE - IT IS NO LONGER BUSINESS AS USUAL

ust about 60 Days to the new government of Engr. Olusegun Adebayo Oni in Ekiti State, the ethics and ethos of governance have changed. In fact, it is safe to say that it is no longer business as usual. A quiet revolution bringing with it a positive wind of change has been blowing across the State. Mr. Governor, as Segun Oni prefers to be called instead of the usual "His Excellency" or "Executive Governor", has quietly but progressively been laying the foundation for a meaningful and sustainable economic growth and development in spite of the vilifying and sometimes virulent opposition using the weapon of vociferous propaganda. The summary of the quiet reactions of Mr. Governor to the opposition and their tactics is that "good opposition is sine qua non to a good government; just let everybody do their jobs".


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The first priority of Engr. Segun Oni on assumption of office is Good Governance. To the Engineer, this is the best mechanism for socio-economic and political engineering that will bring the good fruits of democratic government to the people. He feels that Ekiti people have been criminally neglected for too long with nothing but poverty, deprivation and lack of the essentials of life and socio-economic development as their trade marks. Right from the campaign days, he vowed to put an end to these if given the opportunity to be the governor. Now, Mr. Governor is set to redeem his vow.

The first port of call was the Country Office of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IBRD, aka the World Bank at Abuja. It is glaring that Ekiti State urgently needs reconstruction and development. There, before the Country Director and his staff, Segun Oni made a brilliant 45 minutes verbal presentation of the needs of Ekiti State and why the World Bank should come over to Ekiti and help us. All his prayers were answered and the Bank promised assistance in some key projects including Good Governance, Education, Water, Energy and Agriculture.

The Country Director there and then directed that officials of the Bank moved to the state as soon as possible for a scooping mission. An eight-man World Bank Team made up of various experts led by Chief Bayo Awosemusi, the Lead Procurement Specialist has since paid a one week visit to Ekiti State to assess its needs and capacity. This is a big plus for the administration and especially a big victory for Governor Segun Oni in view of the fact that the Bank and some other International Donor Agencies and governments have withdrawn from the State because of the prodigality, rascality and bad governance of the last civilian regime.

Since good governance is the key that Engr. Segun Oni wants to use to fight poverty and bring socio-economic developments to the state, the Governor has since established the office of the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (BMPIU) aka Due Process in the State headed by a Cabinet Rank Special Adviser to the Governor. This is another clear departure from the past, where Due Process only existed in name before the coming of this government to the State. After a diligent assessment of the procurement processes and procedures of the State, a procurement reform is now going on with a view to stream lining all contract awards and services in the State according to Due Process.

Segun Oni has a tenacious desire and uncompromising respect and commitment for transparency, accountability and good governance as concomitant variables in the prudent management of the very scarce resources of Ekiti State. A keen observer in the State will quickly see that even the Governor, his cabinet members and the other public servants have been making painful but deserving sacrifices since the inception of the administration. Segun Oni will rather slash his own allowances; make his cabinet members including him and his deputy ride their private vehicles until otherwise provided for by the budget, and keep on calling for other sacrifices than incurring a single kobo of extra budgetary expense, which will be against the principle of Due Process.

Mr. Governor, Segun Oni abhors waste of any kind, and financial resources in particular that no approval for expenditure passes his table without the cutting edge of his red pen. The Governor may soon become "Governor Due Process" as no approval of any procurement leaves his table without the caveat; "subject to Due Process". This is to curb procurement wastes that visited the meager resources of the State during the previous administrations. It is an open secret that for every ten Naira spent in the State; nine comes from the Federated Account in Abuja. The bulk of budgetary spending goes to the procurement of goods, works, services and consultancies. These have been the greatest avenue or veritable source of waste in the past. Most of the expenditures on capital projects go to waste in terms of over invoicing, contract inflation, and collection of mobilization fees; even full or double payments without contractors visiting the project sites or for those jobs shoddily done.

It is to avoid these sordid affairs of the past, that the new government put in place as a matter of priority, the mechanism for Due Process that will ensure strict compliance with internationally acceptable procurement standards of openness, transparency, competition, cost accuracy rules and procedures that will henceforth be the bench marks for the award of contracts in the State. For the first time in the state, all procurements will now be integrity-driven and be within budgetary allocations. This mechanism will also ensure speedy implementation of projects that will guarantee value-for-money results; yet, without sacrificing good quality and acceptable standards. For the first time, no contractor will collect any money before starting a contract; a system called mobilization, which has been grossly abused and misused in the past. Also for the first time, any good and competent contractor will not have to know anybody in government before securing contract after

meeting other openly stipulated conditions. It is surely no longer going to be business as usual in the State.

Within two months in office, the government of Engineer Segun Oni has towered the horizon of the previous governors before him in many areas. For instance Certificates of Occupancy will no longer stay beyond 90days between submission of application and approval. Before now, there are some six year old applications. All categories of workers from pensioners to political office holders now have fixed pay-dates. More roads will be constructed within one year, than all the constructed roads put together by the last two civilian regimes in the States. The same is applicable for the provision of decent modern housing accommodation. The hopes and aspirations of the youths have not been more hopeful in the areas of employment and secured future; the welfare of pensioners and workers have been brought to the front burner, while the supply of water and electricity have been elevated to the position of being a right rather than a privilege.

Mr. Governor, Engr. Segun Oni is not unmindful of the fact that, most people generally don't usually like changes and some will do anything to resist such changes, especially when they are call to make sacrifices. Not many will want to have the patience of a farmer who will have to plant and wait for the fruits of his labour only at harvest time. No; some will want to reap as they sow, while some will even want to reap where they did not sow. This is why the Segun Oni's call for sacrifices and the entrenchment of good governance through procurement and government reforms is expected to generate criticism and outright resistance from some people who were beneficiaries of the older order. It is for the same reason that those would have been beneficiaries of maintaining the status quo, will join the "resistance movement" against good governance.

But Engr. Segun Oni and those of us in his team who believe in him as an apostle of positive change in Ekiti will always preach the gospel of socio-economic transformation using the superstructure of public procurement and government reforms that are integrity driven, that upholds spending only within budgetary allocations; and Due Process, which emphasizes procurements of goods, works and services through the instrumentalities of competence, competitiveness, openness, transparency, accountability, economy and value for money. Some blind and jealous critics will still see nothing good in Segun Oni and the wind of change blowing across Ekiti; but Segun Oni and his team are not bothered by their frivolities as only time will tell and Ekiti people will soon know their true friends.

Dr. Bayo Arowolaju is the Special Adviser to Ekiti State Governor on Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit aka Due Process.

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