Aregbesola Lauds Impact Of EU-WB Assisted SLOGOR Project On Public Finance

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola has lauded the State Government’s ability to meet the constitutional requirement of submitting the audited report of the State 2016 Financial Statement to the State House of Assembly within six months from the end of the financial year, due to the intervention of European Union/World Bank Assisted State and Local Governance Reform (SLOGOR) Project.

Aregbesola who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola made this known in his opening remarks at the Policy Dialogue during the SLOGOR Project Mid-Term Review with the World Bank Delegation and key Government officials.

Oyetola said that: “SLOGOR has in no small measure contributed to reforming Public Financial Management in the State.

According to him, meeting the deadline for the preparation of the 2016 Financial Statement of the State Government on IPSAS Accrual (First Time Adoption) was among the laudable achievements credited to SLOGOR intervention”.

He listed other achievements recorded with SLOGOR Intervention on Public Financial Management reform to include: Conduct of Annual Audit Forum, Passage of the Public Procurement Law, and Establishment of the Public Procurement Agency etc.

Oyetola further stated that the State of Osun is one the States in Nigeria that prioritized reforms that focused on poverty reduction.

According to him, the results of all reforms implemented in the State, contributed immensely to the rating of the State as one of the States in Nigeria with the lowest poverty index according to the recent ranking by the National Bureau of Statistics.

In the same vein, the Task Team Leader (TTL) of SLOGOR, Ikechukwu Nweje, disclosed that the objective of the Mid-Term Review was basically to take stock of what is working well with the Project and identify areas that require improvement.

Mr. Nweje requested the State to ensure early submission of Workplan and Procurement Plan for prompt clearance by the World Bank.

The SLOGOR National Project Coordinator, Mr. Samuel Elohor also in his remarks expressed his happiness for the commitment of the State Government of Osun towards achieving the PFM objectives.

Mr. Elohor encouraged the State to provide necessary support for all donor supported projects in the State. He particularly, praised the Governor for paying the counterpart contribution for EU/UNICEF Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme.

In his welcome address, the State Project Coordinator, Mr. Yemi Ijidele commended the State Government of Osun under the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for providing the right environment and political will for attracting donors to the State.

He also appreciated the assistance of the European Union and World Bank for their commitment towards banishing poverty and strengthening public financial management in the State of Osun and Nigeria at large.