The on-going African Union- African Peer Review Mechanism (AU-APRM) Self-Assessment Process for Ogun State will promote socio-economic growth and good governance, as well as integration among African countries.
Ogun State Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe, stated this during an awareness/sensitisation Townhall meeting and official flag-off of Nigeria’s 2nd AU-African Peer Review (AU-APRM), Self-Assessment for Ogun State by Governor Dapo Abiodun, at the Oba’s Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Mrs. Longe said the Self-Assessment Process would promote socio-economic growth by helping to identify areas of performance and deficiencies in participating countries, so as to spur governments at all levels to address identified deficiencies for better service delivery to citizens, stressing that the exercise was not a score card or rating of any state or nation.
The Commissioner stated that Self-Assessment questionnaires have been sent to respondents in all the twenty Local Government Areas of the state through Focal Point Persons (FPPs) after a symbolic flag-off ceremony. She called on respondents to be unsentimental so that the assessment can be a true reflection of the state of affairs in Ogun.
“The exercise is focusing on four thematic areas which include democracy and political governance, economic governance and management, Corporate governance and socio-economic governance”. She urged respondents to fill the questionnaires objectively.
The South West Zonal Co-ordinator, NEPAD- APRM, Princess Iyabo Okeimen lauded the state for being the first in the region to carry out the assessment, noting that it would foster adoption of policies thatwould bring about sustainable development.
She added that the recommendations given by various respondents during the first review, which was carried out in the country in the year 2008, led to the initiation of various government intervention such as the N-power, assuring that it would also lead to more people-oriented policies and programmes.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olu. Ola. Aikulola, represented by the Director of Investment in the Ministry, Mrs. Yetunde Olatunbosun, said the Ministry had trained all the Focal Point Persons to guide respondents, assuring that the Ministry would continue to facilitate various programmes which would stimulate economic growth.
