FG Inaugurates Committee of Professionals to Oversee Intergovernmental Affairs

The Federal Government has inaugurated an Inter-ministerial Technical Experts Committee to oversee the activities of the arms of government, ministries and agencies to give a boost and reduce the cost of its governance.
Dr George Akume, Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, who performed the inauguration, in Abuja, said the committee, comprising of selected technical experts from various ministries would partner to achieve the objectives of the ministry.
Akume represented by Mr Festus Dauda, a Permanent Secretary in the ministry, explained that one of the mandates of establishing the ministry was to coordinate the activities of other ministries, agencies, as well as arms of governments.
He said in order to achieve the mandates; there was a need for synergy among the professionals and their experts to put heads together to avoid duplication of efforts by the ministries.
“The Ministry of Special Duties is saddled with the responsibility to coordinating activities of all ministries and agencies in order to achieve seemliness, cooperation and collaboration. Also, to achieve synergy between ministries, agencies, between the arms of governance as well as the levels of governance-federal, state and local governments. So, in order to achieve these particular mandates of cooperation and collaboration among all these arms of governance, the honourable minister thought it wise that the inter-ministerial committee should be established. This forms a forum whereby all operation of various ministries and agencies come together so that we see how we can collaborate and work together”.
According to him, the initiative will give a boost to the activity of the Federal Government in terms of making sure that there is no duplication of efforts by ministries, agencies and other arms of governments.
He expressed optimism that at the end of the day, the objectives of establishing Ministry of Special Duties would be achieved and at long run, there would be reduction in cost of governance.
Akume said government in its wisdom and efforts was trying to see how cost of governance could be reduced, adding that setting up this particular committee, we would be able to achieve the set goals.
In addition, Akume gave assurance that the committee would work to ensure the execution of lifting one million Nigerians out of poverty line within the next 10 years as promised by Mr President on Democracy Day.
“This particular committee will look at that particular promise and see how to develop roadmap, come up with a blue print in such a way that this promise that President made to Nigerians can be achieved“.
Responding, Dr Bassey Etim, Director Human Resources in the ministry and who is also the coordinator of the committee, said the task was enormous but he assured that the committee would device strategies for accomplishment.
“We are devising strategy and methods on how we can within one month; get the results of the task given to us. You know we have experts from different ministries, so our job is like, 30 per cent done already with the calibre of people on ground.