UWAIS, EX-CJN, HEADS COMMITTEE TO APPRAISE GOVERNORS

The Nigeria Governors Forum yesterday inaugurated a Steering Committee to appraise performance of state governors. Former Chief Justice of the Federation, Muhammed Uwais will be the chairman of the team to coordinate the activities of another team, the State Peer Review Mechanism (SPRM).

Other members of the Steering Committee, which had its inaugural meeting at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, yesterday were former Kwara and Cross River states governors, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Donald Duke; Professor Oladipupo Adamolekun, Prof.Akachi Ezeigbo and the Minister of National Planning, Dr Shamsudeen Usman. Others were Mrs Ayo Obe, Ms Ijeoma Nwogwugwu and the Senior Special Adviser to the President on NEPAD, Ambassador Tunji Olagunju. Also on the team were Statistician-General of the Federation, National Bureau of Statistics, Dr Yemi Kale.

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi explained to newsmen that the World Bank, and the Canadian Embassy would organize similar state peer review mechanism to assess the performance of each state in the country. He noted that the mechanism would enable states to learn development programmes from one another, saying that 'we can do this to make sure that democracy dividends are made available.' He announced the plan to launch a sensitization programme on the State Peer Review Mechanism in Ekiti State on November 11, 2011. Speaking on behalf of Steering Committee members, Justice Uwais thanked the NGF for the honour and assured that the committee would do its best.

'We are grateful for the honour being done to us by serving in this Committee. We pledge to do our best.'

Another member of the Committee who was the immediate past Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Senator Bukola Saraki submitted that the idea behind the steering committee was to ensure that enduring and enviable practices were cultivated by governors as they discharge their statutory responsibilities.

''The whole concept about it is how do you improve governance, service delivery by ensuring best practices, by being able to review what states are doing and being able to pick out what is the best practices on health , on agriculture on education and ensuring that we have a common position towards it. So, by so doing definitely governance will be effective.'