Headlines
How SFTAS improves good governance at state level – OGP
Nasiru Yusuf
The National secretariat of Open Government Partnership (OGP) said the implementation of State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability And Sustainability (SFTAS) has significantly improved good governance at state level.
KANO FOCUS reports that an official of OGP Tari Wills revealed this on Thursday at a two day learning and sensitisation meeting for Civil Society Organisations citizens’ participation in participatory budgeting through the SFTAS programme organised by Kano state office of Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL).
She recalled that “As at 2018 when the programme first started we have about only four states implementing budget on their websites, but today as at the last time Annual Performance Assessment report we have over fifteen state governments.
Participants
“Progressively, we are seeing impact and we are seeing changes. We are hoping that by next year when the programme is coming to an end, these government that started these reforms would be able to continue and sustain it beyond the time limit.”
She charged Civil Society Organisations to ensure the sustainability of the reforms by asking right questions and making demands.
According to her “the objective of this programme is, if Civil Society Organisations know what government is publishing, they can use such document to hold government accountable. For instance on the budget circle, we are telling them that government will hold public consultation, and they have to be actively involved in this public consultation and budget process.
“They have to ask right questions. They have to use citizens budget to train other citizens who are not part of the public consultation to ask right questions to further hold government accountable and to ensure service delivery is actually improved through this process.”
In his remarks, the PERL-ECP State facilitator Yunusa Hamza said the training is to empower citizens, academic, traditional rulers and journalists how to engage government to ensure it access SFTAS grant.
Malam Yunusa Hamza
“One good thing about this, it will improve the economic status of the state, because this is a grant coming to the state without doing much.
“On governance, it will fill some gaps in our reform process. Because the fiscal financial management process has to be inclusive. What we are saying by inclusive, citizens group need to be involved. People need to be involved. People need to know, because these services are meant for them. One good thing is government is doing a lot, and citizens are not aware. So we want bridge this gap.”
SFTAS reform
State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability And Sustainability (SFTAS) is a World Bank-assisted Programme seeks to promote public sector accountability and reduce corruption.
The SFTAS Programme was established by the federal government with the concessional World bank loan to support states to enhance their capacity to achieve the Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) which are the Programme results.
The DLIs are derived from the country’s 22-Point Fiscal Sustainability Plan and the 14 Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments aimed at strengthening fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainability across all States of the Federation.
The World Bank-assisted SFTAS Programme was principally to strengthen fiscal management at the State level, so as to ensure effective mobilization and utilization of financial resources, to the benefit of their citizens in a transparent, accountable and sustainable manner, thereby reducing fiscal risks and encouraging a common set of fiscal behaviours.
The DLIs aimed at: improved financial reporting and budget reliability; increased openness and citizens’ engagement in the budget process; improved cash management and reduced revenue leakages through the implementation of State Treasury Single Account (TSA); strengthened Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) collection; biometric registration and Bank Verification Number (BVN) used to reduce payroll fraud.
Others are improved procurement practices for increased transparency and value for money; strengthened public debt management and fiscal responsibility framework; improved clearance/reduction of the stock of domestic expenditure arrears; and improved debt sustainability.
The 24 beneficiary states are: Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe States.
In 2020, Kaduna State achieved the highest number of results (nine) and got the highest share with N3. 960 billion, while Katsina and Benue got the lowest amount of N540 million each.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has vowed to appeal the judgement of the governorship election tribunal which nullified his election and declared the APC candidate, Nasiru Yusuf Gawauna as the winner.
KANO FOCUS reports that Yusuf made the declaration on Wednesday night, while making a broadcast to the people of the state.
He said his legal team had been directed to appeal the judgement at the court of appeal in order to reclaim the mandate given to him by the people of the State.
He, therefore, Called on the good people of the state to remain calm and continue to be law abiding as security agents have been directed to ensure the safety of lives and property of the citizens.
“Let me assure you that the this government would continue to work for the development of the people of the state as the judgement will never dampen our spirit or discourage us from the good work we have started.” he said.
The Governor, who thanked the people of the state for their continued support and cooperation, urged them to go about with normal activities.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on Tuesday, said that Kano State has recorded 5,800 suspected cases of Diphtheria from January to date.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Head, UNICEF Field Office, Kano, Mr Rahama Mohammned-Farah, stated this in Kano during a one-day media orientation on Diphtheria outbreak.
The UN Agency said the cases were recorded in 39 local government areas of the state.
According to him, Kano State has the highest number of recorded cases in the country, adding that Diphtheria was a highly contagious and infectious disease that could cause death.
Mohammned-Farah stressed that proactive measures were necessary to stem the outbreak.
“Recently, we have seen a surge in the number of reported Diphtheria cases in Nigeria, and Nigeria is currently facing an outbreak that needs to be stopped and prevented.
“As of July, Diphtheria cases have been on the rise. As of last week, over 400 suspected cases with 11 deaths have been reported in Kano.
“Out of the 39 LGAs affected, eight are the most affected, including Ungogo with 2,651 cases; Dala 989, Fagge 943, Gwale 714, Kumbotso 713, Nasarawa 538, Kano Municipal 506 and Tarauni 269,” he said.
He said that 60.8 per cent of the suspected cases had been reported in children not vaccinated, which reinforced the critical need to address the issue of zero doses, especially in Kano State.
“UNICEF delivered 1.2 million vaccines to the Kano State Government in our continuing support to the government response to Diphtheria outbreak.
“Diphtheria outbreak is a threat to child survival, health and the wellbeing of children. UNICEF is collaborating with government and partners to respond to the emergency to save the lives of children affected.
“In Kano state, UNICEF supported Tetanus-Diphtheria reactive vaccination campaigns in February, April and August, vaccinating 23,200 children in round one.
“While 277,796 children vaccinated in round two and 29,500 others in round-3 of the exercise.
“We engaged 150 traditional leaders on Diphtheria outbreak and distribution of Diphtheria IEC materials, and deployed 1,500 VCMs to the worst affected LGAs to conduct house-to-house sensitisations and referral of suspected cases to health facilities.
“Media has a key role to play particularly in infection prevention, and risk communication and community engagement,” he said.
Also speaking, Dr Muhammad Nasir-Mahmoud, the Director-General, Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, said the state government had adopted drastic measures to curtail spread of the disease.
“We are committed towards educating the public about what is happening and the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has promised that Kano will be accorded priority in terms of vaccine distribution,” he said.
While describing the media as partners in the fight against Diphtheria, Nasir-Mahmoud urged them to support the campaign against the disease.
Mukhtar Yahya Usman
The Interparty Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC) has urged the judges of the Kano election petition tribunal court to discharge its duties with utmost integrity and impartiality.
KANO FOCUS reports that this was contained in a statement issued by the organization secretary Kano chapter Nuhu Idris on Tuesday.
IPAC also called upon the tribunal to consider each case diligently and ensure that all the parties involved are given equal opportunities to present their argument and evidence.
It could be recalled that the election tribunal has fixed Wednesday 20th September 2023 to deliver judgment on APC’s petition against Abba Kabir Yusuf.
A hearing notice issued by the Secretary of the election petition tribunal on Monday said the judgment would be delivered at 9.00 a.m., at the High Court of Miller Road in Kano.
Mr Idris said the organization has acknowledged the importance of the electoral process in a democratic society, where the voice and choice of the people are paramount.
He said the ongoing legal proceedings before the tribunal are a testament to the vibrancy of democracy and the resolve of citizens to seek redress through legal means.
“IPAC firmly believes that justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done.
“We, Therefore, implore the tribunal to maintain transparency in its proceedings allowing the public and all concerned parties to have confidence in the outcome of the legal process, the statement said.
He added that it is essential that the tribunal’s decisions are guided by the rule of law and the facts presented, rather than any external influence.
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