Bauchi Assembly probes ministries over duty duplication

From Ahmad Mohammed, Bauchi

Bauchi State House of Assembly has directed its Committee on Public Service to investigate duplication and overlapping responsibilities in government ministries and parastatals with a view to advise the government to restructure the institutions in order to improve its finances and executes viable projects that would improve the living standard of people in the 20 local government areas of the State.
The Deputy Speaker of the House who presided over the sitting gave the directive after the House deliberated on a motion presented at the floor of the House yesterday by Member representing Kirfi constituency in the State House of Assembly, Abdulkadir Umar Dewu on the need for State Government to use the tax payers money for maximum benefit of the people.
He argued that “The existing system is obviously over burdened with duplication and overlap of responsibilities especially in the regime of affluence and increased government revenue generation is indeed not bad in every sense of its application. This is because of the fact that it could provide basic operational possibilities of ensuring checks and balances in the policy framework and as well offers opportunities for poverty reduction as well as fertile ground for harnessing requisite potentials for meeting the requirements of the buoyant economy.”
Dewu said “ looking at the status of the economy of the State and the way this government grapples with serious revenue generation problem which has given birth to an increasing uncertainties in the day to day running of the government affairs, the need for this motion could not be over emphasized. This is because of the reason that it could provide legislative grounds for the Executive Arm of Government to review its structural overlaps and duplication for better performance and increased savings for efficient service delivery.”
The lawmaker said “Some of these unnecessary overlaps and duplications may not be found among the existing ministries in the state but be located in the agencies and departments working under them. It is therefore relevant that the Executive Arm of Government may be advised to constitute a strong committee that would overhaul the system to ensure that this problem is carefully pursued for optimal result. The process may bring solace to the government by sanitizing the system to rhyme with the emerging global struggle for domesticating best model that would embrace rigorous economic hardship of the new world order”.
Dewu asked the House for the resolution of this Hon House to advise the Executive Arm of Government to see reasons of constituting a strong Committee that would be mandated with the task of overhauling the existing structural formation of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the State with a view to eliminating overlaps and duplication of responsibilities so that the Government can save for other development related projects.
The House gave the committee on Public House to investigate and report back to the committee of the whole House within two weeks.