Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State said the just released report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which placed the state as the second least corrupt state in Nigeria, has validated his efforts to ensure good governance, accountability and transparency in managing public funds.
NBS, in its report, titled: “The 2nd Corruption Survey Report in Nigeria,” released on December 6, 2019, ranked Plateau amongst the second least corrupt state together with Imo and Jigawa states.
The Governor, while reacting to the development on Tuesday, said he had put in many strategies to check corruption and enhance accountability in the state, noting that “on assuming office, I declared my administration zero tolerance to corruption.”
In a statement, signed by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr. Machan Makut Simon, the Governor also said the strategies included his administration’s determination to ensure that public funds were strictly used 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 procurements to ensure that there is no wasteful and exaggerated costs,” he added.
According to Lalong, all these efforts amongst other things, have contributed to reducing mismanagement of resources and corruption in the state.
He further assured the people of the state that his administration would continue to sustain the tempo in ensuring good governance and accountability in the state.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
