Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, says his administration would sustain the leadership position in due process, transparency, and accountability in government’s transactions in Nigeria.

Buni stated this while responding to the Overall Top Performer Award on State Fiscal Transparency Accontability and Sustainability (SFTAS), a World Bank programme, won by the state.

Yobe State was presented the Top Performer overall best state among the 36 states of the federation by the Minister of Finance,Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, at a dinner organised for the 36 state governors last week.

According to a statement issued by the state government on Tuesday, the governor said his administration would continue to promote transparency and accountability in governance to have value for money on all expenditures.

“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” he stated.

Governor Buni commended the civil servants who believe and share the vision and mission of his administration, saying: “I want to specially appreciate our civil servants who are the implementors of government policies and programmes and for being on the same page with the government to achieve this great feat.”

Speaking at the event, Ahmed, who spoke on behalf of the Federal Government, applauded the state governments for their performance in the ongoing SFTAS programme and producing positive results.

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She expressed delight that the $1.5 billion SFTAS programme supported by the World Bank has promoted institutionalisation of fiscal reforms in the states.

The minister stated that the Federal Government’s celebration of the success of the SFTAS programme and the presentation of the awards to best performing states in the successive Annual Performance Assessments was 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.

Speaking on the development, the Director-General, Yobe Stte Bureau for Public Procurement, Samaila Mai Adamu, 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.

“Governor Buni has always insist that every project executed by the state government must be checked by the Bureau to undergo due process for transparency and accountability.

‘I am glad that the Bureau has been performing its functions and responsibilities without hindrance or interference from the executive,” he said.

Samaila said Yobe state also won the best state in due process, accountability and transparency award from the Association of Public Procurement Practitioners of Nigeria (APPPN).

“This SFTAS award is a confirmation of the APPPN award that Yobe State has now assumed a new leading status on accountability and transparency,” he added.

The Star