Moves for effective implementation of town planning laws
Governor Godwin Obaseki has said the new Edo State audit law was to deepen accountability and transparency and make government agencies more accountable.
Inaugurating the Emmanuel Osaretin Omozuhiomwen-led five-man Audit Service Commission at Government House, Benin City, he regretted that previous law failed to deliver.
The governor said: “The Edo State Public Law 2019, which was re-enacted in 2021, provides for the establishment of the Edo State Audit Service Commission and the Office of the Auditor General of Edo State.
“This law is an outcome of an exercise supported by the World Bank to further deepen accountability and transparency in the way we run government functions and institutions. You have been chosen based on your experience and knowledge of the workings of government institutions and agencies to come and play this role.”
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He continued: “We expect that the foundation members of this commission are going to be setting the pathway for the future of this commission. The standard you set today would determine the progress we make in putting in place what is required to make sure that government agencies account for financial resources given to them.”
BESIDES, Obaseki said the Benin River Port would boost Nigeria’s agriculture exports and foreign exchange earnings.
For impact, the state government has appointed transactions advisers, CPCS, renowned for port logistics and infrastructure.
Represented by the Project Director, Dr. Joe Aigboduwa, the governor made the submission at the maiden Nigeria International Maritime Summit (NIMS) in Lagos with the theme, Achieving Effective Trade Facilitation in Nigeria and Activating the Nigeria Agenda for African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
The Managing Director, Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO), Kelvin Uwaibi, observed that the port would speed up access to the over $50 billion African market through the continental trade treaty.
ALSO, the Edo chief executive pledged that his administration would sustain collaboration with stakeholders in the built environment sector for effective implementation of the state’s town planning laws.
Addressing a stakeholders’ meeting in Benin City, Obaseki clarified that the parley was to ensure that everyone was on same page in the successful implementation of the Making Edo Great Again (MEGA) agenda.
Represented by the Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa, the governor said the stakeholders had been brought together to buy into the programme to sanitise the system and build confidence in the capacity of the state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
THE GUARDIAN
