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FG hinges ERGP success on institutional capacity

By Benjamin Alade
13 June 2017   |   4:14 am
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Centre for Management Development (CMD) in Lagos, at the weekend.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Centre for Management Development (CMD) in Lagos, at the weekend.

To achieve the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) goals, the Federal Government has stressed the need for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to develop capacity thereby generating revenue to meet their needs.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Centre for Management Development (CMD) in Lagos, at the weekend.

The minister noted that the plan required the efforts and contribution from parastatals to make it work. According to him, revenue generations are challenges every single agency of government has to think outside the box looking at the resources they possess to generate revenue not for the agency alone but also surplus to support government for other activities.

He said Government is determined to change the way things are being done, and the country from a nation of consumers, to one of producers.
“We want fundamental change and we have been working on series of policies to achieve that, which is what is contained in the ERGP.

“In order to achieve objectives of the plan, there is need to develop our institutional capacity. We need to develop our capacity from management, for human resources management,” he disclosed.

He identified Nigeria’s problem as a management problem, stating that how resources are managed goes a long way in developing the nation. “We have a lot of resources to include rich agriculture, land, enterprising people, and a nation full of energetic youths excited and driven by information technology. The challenge is how we manage, which falls under the responsibility of the Centre to train Nigerians in management. The Centre’s role is important in achieving the change the country is yearning for,” he said.

“You must focus on using the facilities within the Centre optimally to generate revenue. What the Centre does is critical, training and accrediting sets of people who would go out to change things in Nigeria.  Accrediting, making sure standards are maintained. The Centre is also the monitoring arm of government to monitor the quality of the management trainers,” he added.

He said government needs people to champion the plan, stating that each person should look at what value to add in changing the country, as it is by individual efforts that we can truly change Nigeria.

He emphasised on the need for the Centre invest in research and consultancy, noting that the Centre has capacity which is not fully utilised and maximized to generate revenue.

He said the real wealth of Nigeria is not in oil, but in our people; maximizing the capacity of people, it generates wealth and the capacity of the centre to generate income to meet most of its expenses.

Besides, the minister acknowledged that centre had challenges but needs improvement in maintenance, saying we know that the centre has some challenges, but we would address the challenges and support the centre.

However, the minister declined questions in regards to the signing of the 2017 budget. Earlier in his remarks, the Director General, CMD, Dr Kabir Usman, reiterated the Centre’s commitment to helping the Federal Government achieve its economic recovery plans.

He said the Centre is charged with the responsibilities of driving the visions, plans and programmes of the Federal Government especially in the area of capacity building both government and private establishment.

He noted that it is only during the Minster’s tenure that the Centre got its overhead of N48 million a year jacked up to N64 million, noting that the Ministry supported the Centre in the 2017 Appropriation Bill, and requested the quick release of funds to it.

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