The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, has expressed the willingness of the Ministry to support the Federal Character Commission (FCC) to achieve its mandate.
Prince Agba made this pledge when the chairperson of FCC, Dr Muheeba Farida Dankaka, led a delegation on a visit to his office, recently in Abuja.
In his speech, the Minister highlighted the mandates of the Commission to include: Working out equitable formula, subject to the approval of the President, for the distribution of Socio economic services, amenities and infrastructural facilities; and reducing the relative deprivation and marginalization in the Nigerian system of federalism, as it obtains in the public and private sector.
Speaking further, Agba stated that to ensure equitable distribution of facilities across the country, the GRID3, which was a Geospatial technology hosted by the Ministry, would be deployed for monitoring and evaluation.
He tasked the delegation on more citizenry engagement and participation adding that the Ministry was in the process of developing an application that would be used by Nigerians to appraise project executed by MDA’s.
To this end, Agba urged the Commission to recognize the Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the Ministry, in championing the geospatial data for national development and raise a team that would interact with the department in working out modalities required for the synergy.
Following a request by the delegation to participate in bilateral meetings on budget discussions with MDA’s, the Minister pledged to engage the DG Budget on ensuring that the Commission was carried along.
Speaking earlier, Dankaka, said the Commission was seeking partnership with the Ministry in the areas of tracking budgetary releases to MDA’s, the establishment of the status of projects executed and their utilization. Other areas included the development of a Geospatial map for a one stop visual comprehension of project location, capacity development as well as the establishment of a funding link/partnership.
She hoped the collaboration would “boost our work as a team towards achieving the best output and distribution of economic and infrastructural facilities in the country as well as open up more opportunities for further robust interactions and constructive engagement.”
