Sokoto 9-Point SMART Agenda: New Commissioner Gets Transition Briefing

The Sokoto State Technical Working Committee on the 9-Point SMART Innovative Agenda has held a meeting with the new leadership of the State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

The meeting, presided over by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Bashir Muhammad Achida, was held at the conference room of the Ministry.
Speaking at the meeting, the former Chairman of the Committee and immediate past Commissioner of the Ministry, Dr. Abubakar Mohammed Zayyana, briefed the new Commissioner on the milestones achieved and challenges encountered by the committee. He also suggested steps for advancing the administration’s development blueprint.
Dr. Zayyana advised his successor to focus on completing the State Development Plan initiated during his tenure and encourage government officials to utilise the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index document recently launched by the state.
He disclosed that the 9-Point SMART Agenda Framework had already been designed, adding that UNICEF had agreed to partner with the Ministry to scientifically assess the performance of each thematic area of the agenda.
He also emphasised the need to give due consideration to the State Key Performance Indicators, with the Ministry serving as the coordinating body for the state’s development.
Dr. Zayyana further stressed the importance of sustaining the zonal town hall meetings where citizens’ inputs are generated for the state budget, expressing hope that the initiative would soon be extended to the ward and local government levels.
The former Commissioner, who voluntarily resigned his appointment to contest for the Gwadabawa/Illela Federal Constituency seat under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, also advised his successor to strengthen the Ministry’s Monitoring and Evaluation Department as well as the Department of International Cooperation for optimum results.
He wished the Commissioner well and acknowledged members of the team for their commitment to the success of the committee’s assignment.
Responding, Commissioner Dr. Bashir Muhammad Achida expressed appreciation for the solid foundation laid by his predecessor in transforming the Ministry through innovative strategies aimed at achieving the goals of Dr. Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto’s administration.
According to him, Dr. Zayyana performed creditably in compiling the 9-Point SMART Innovative Agenda document, the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index and coordinating the activities of development partners in the state to ensure alignment with the goals of the present administration.
Dr. Achida pledged to consolidate on the successes recorded so far, introduce new ideas to move the Ministry to greater heights and boost the state’s economy.
The Commissioner also pledged to keep his doors open to meaningful advice from his predecessor, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the success of his assignment.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Buhari Umar Musheshi, acknowledged the contributions of members of the Technical Working Committee on the 9-Point SMART Agenda for their tireless efforts towards achieving the desired goals.
Earlier, the Secretary of the Committee and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammad, alongside the State Statistician General, Alhaji Abdullahi Abdulrahman Shagari, presented an overview of the committee’s activities.
In their separate remarks, members of the committee, including the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Nasir Daniya, the State Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, Comrade Bello Gwadabawa, and Professor Abubakar Abdullahi, highlighted key areas requiring priority attention by the new Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, who now chairs the Technical Working Committee.