An Inter-ministerial Technical Experts Committee has been charged with the task of reducing the cost of governance in ministries and agencies of the Federal Government.
The membership of the Committee comprises technical experts from various ministries.
The Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dr George Akume, inaugurated the committee over the weekend in Abuja.
The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in his Ministry, Festus Dauda, revealed that the establishment of the committee was in keeping with one of the core mandates of the Ministry which includes coordinating the activities of other ministries, agencies, as well as arms of governments.
He stressed the need for synergy among experts, to achieve the ministry’s mandates and avoid duplication of efforts.
“When President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Federal Executive Council at the inception, this particular Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs was created and one of the mandates given to the ministry was intergovernmental affairs.
“The ministry is saddled with the responsibility of coordinating activities of all ministries and agencies, in order to achieve seamless cooperation, collaboration and synergy between ministries, agencies, and between the arms of government.
“The ministry also coordinates activities of government at all levels of government including federal, state and local government levels.
“So in order to achieve these particular mandates of cooperation and collaboration among the arms of governance, the Ministry thought it wise that the inter-ministerial committee should be established whereby, all operations of various ministries and agencies can collaborate and work together,” Akume said.
Akume urged the committee to work towards lifting one million Nigerians out of poverty within the next 10 years in fulfilment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s on Democracy Day.
“This particular committee will look at that particular promise and see how to develop a roadmap, come up with a blueprint in such a way that the promise the President made to Nigerians could be achieved.’’
Dr Bassey Etim, Director, Human Resources in the ministry and Coordinator of the committee, who said the task was enormous, assured that the committee will accomplish its purpose.
“We are devising strategies and methods on how we can within one month, get results on the task given to us.
“We have experts from different ministries, so our job is 30 per cent done with the calibre of people on ground,” he acknowledged.
