FG working on continuity bill to address abandoned projects – Perm. Sec.
NAN-HE- 18
Bill
By Cecilia Ologunagba
Abuja, Sept. 29, 2016 (NAN) Mrs Fatima Mede, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, says the Federal Government is working on Project Continuity Bill to address abandoned projects in the country.
Mede said this at the Nigeria UN Development Assistant Framework (UNDAF) Formulation Process Consultation and Validation of the Draft Common Country Analysis (CCA) and Visioning Exercise in Abuja on Thursday.
She said that the ministry was working with the National Assembly to fast track the passage of the bill into law to ensure policy consistency.
“The problem we have is inconsistency in our policies; once a government comes and leaves, another government will not complete those projects started by the precious government.
“You see that this administration has started to complete some of the projects started by the former President Jonathan’s administration; a good example is the railway project.
“Once the bill is passed now, it will be on record that no administration can abandon any project again.’’
The permanent secretary said UNDAF Nigeria had evolved through the first UNDAF that spanned the period 2002 – 2006; UNDAF II covered 2009 – 2013.
The permanent secretary said the implementation of UNDAF III, which started in 2014, would terminate in 2017.
She said the UN Country Team in Nigeria had commenced the process of formulating and engaging with relevant partners in the preparation of a successor UNDAF tagged UNDAF-IV to cover the period 2018 – 2022.
“In the perspective of SDGs, the CCA 2016 is envisioned to provide analytical basis for joint visioning and planning process for UNDAF-IV by the UN system, the Federal Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders.’’
Mede said the CCA was prepared from June to September 2016 with extensive review and inclusive consultation with government and non-state actors at the national and sub-national levels, UN agencies and selected Delivery as One (DAO) modality.
“The ministry’s appointed consultants have just concluded country wide consultations across the six geo-political zones of the country.
“Cross-River, Benue, Oyo, Anambra, Gombe and Kaduna states expected to harvest inputs into the CCA.’’
Acting UN Resident Coordinator, Ms Angele Dikongue-Atangana, said the workshop was the final stage of the consultations after which the CCA would be completed.
“ Following the completion of the CCA, we will then proceed to formulate priorities for UNDAF for the period 2018 to 2022.
“I therefore encourage all of you to make open, frank and candid comments about this draft CCA.
“We count on your wealth of experience to get inputs that will enrich this document and thereby the entire process,’’ she said.
According to her, the UNDAF IV roll-out has come at a very historic time.
Dikongue-Atangana said it came at a time the world agreed to the 2030 development agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 and Nigeria had recently signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
She said that Nigeria was strongly represented at the recent UN Summit on Refugees and migrants held in New York.
All the developments will guide the process of the new UNDAF for Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CCA Report has been presented in five sections for stakeholders to review (NAN).
CIA/ADA/IA
(Edited by Deji Abdulwahab/Idris Abdulrahman)