By Ishaq Dan-Imam
Federal government has launched a website for Nigerian Citizens to constantly track, monitor, and report progress and the implementation of priority projects of the federal government, especially in the 9 priority areas of President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
This is in a bid to improve transparency and openness in governance through active citizens participation, in line with global best practices.
At the launch of the Nigerian Public accountability website on Tuesday at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, the Secretary to the government of the federation (SGF)
Mr. Boss Mustapha, said the launch of the website along with the Citizens Reporting App, was an explicit commitment of the Buhari administration to fighting corruption, improving governance, openness, accountability, and security for all citizens.
He noted that “the Presidential Delivery Tracker (PDT) APP gives citizens unrestricted access to the federal government presidential priority policies, programs, and projects without hindrances of any sort because of the active collaboration with the Civil Society Group whose active participation and input into the public service delivery tracker, gives credibility to the performance management process under the current administration”.
Mr. Mustapha encouraged Nigerians to boldly demand greater accountability from the government through electronic devices from the comfort of their homes, Communities, and Workplaces.
Earlier, Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Affairs Office, Office of the Secretary to the government of the Federation, Mr. James Sule, noted that the website is being hosted to create public awareness on, the ” Delivery of priority projects and programs of the federal government and, provide an opportunity for Nigerian Citizens to proactively demand greater accountability from the government while the current administration is creating avenues for citizens to monitor the implementation of programs and projects because of the responsiveness of the government.
On the level of involvement of the Civil Society in the electronic accountability platform, Mr. Sule said:
“The input of the Civil Society Organization, (CSO) was incorporated into the final design which was also re-presented to them for concurrence on the 9th August 2022, at a virtual meeting hosted by the Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU).
“A total of 455 indicators are being tracked across the 29 Ministries, including the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation while the unit is expected to identify and resolve impediments to the delivery of presidential priorities which aim at improving the quality of public services”, Mr. Sule, explained with optimism.
The minister of finance, budget, and national planning, whose ministry is a strategic implementation partner from the conceptualization stage to the implementation stage of the CDCU system, Zainab Ahmad, in an address at the event, expressed the belief that the website would improve governance and public service delivery in Nigeria. She urged the stakeholders to ensure the public accountability monitoring system work for Nigeria and its citizens.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, said with an air of fulfillment that the project would not have achieved success without the immense partnership of strategic partners like FCDO-PER, NATVIEW Technologies, CSO, the national OGP Secretariat of the federal ministry of budget and planning and MDAs for input into the CDCU system. He appreciated they’re deft experience and technical support on behalf of the federal government of Nigeria.
