Gyang Bere,Jos
Plateau State Governor, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong said prudent management of public funds was what led to the ranking of the state as second least corrupt state in Nigeria based on the 2nd Corruption Survey Report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Lalong in a press statement signed by Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Simon Macham, said the development validates the efforts of his administration towards entrenching good governance, accountability and transparency in management of public funds.
“On assumption of office, I declared my administration’s zero tolerance to corruption and our determination to ensure that public funds are used strictly for the benefit of the people of Plateau.
“We were among the first State in Nigeria to adopt the Treasury Single Account (TSA) where we made sure all monies accruing to Plateau State went to a single account for easy oversight and monitoring.
“We also established the Efficiency Unit that is saddled with the duty of checking all proposals and requests to ensure that they are in line with the vision of the Government and offer value for the people. We put in place the Bureau for Public Procurement which has the mandate of vetting all procurement to ensure that there is no wasteful and exaggerated costs.”
Lalong set up the Project Monitoring and Result Delivery Unit (PMRDU) domiciled in the Office of the Chief of Staff with clear mandate to ensure diligent tracking of Projects and Programmes implementation by all the MDAs.
“The State has greatly improved the ease of doing business through the creation of the One-Stop-Shop as well as enhancing land transactions through the Strengthening of the Plateau Geographic Information Systems (PLAGIS) to operate electronically.
“This declaration by the NBS of Plateau State as the second least corrupt State in Nigeria is great news for us as it explains why domestic and foreign investors, and foreign envoys are pouring into our State to do business and partner with us for various development efforts.
Lalong said he has received the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, investors from Switzerland, Austria and Germany and the Political Counselor at the US Embassy was in my office.
“We shall continue to make sure that we sustain this tempo and by the grace of God, Plateau State will be the least corrupt State in Nigeria when this survey is conducted next year.”
Governor Lalong used the opportunity to thank the people of Plateau State for their cooperation and support to the Rescue Administration in ensuring that there is peace and tranquility which is making development possible.
