The role of plan as road map to development has never been in doubt. Every human being, every State or economy from time immemorial is appreciative of the enormous benefit there in putting intentions together and working out in advance, coordinated modus operandi for achieving them. Thus, the saying that, he who fails to plan has planned to fail. Therefore everyone knows that planning, whatever name it is called, whether it is referred to as blue print or goal, is very germane to success.
For expertise on development plan; they are amply in sufficient supply to move the whole world to the Promised Land. The question is what is responsible for plan or goal or blue print indiscipline and or failures? Factors that are more often than not responsible for plan failures can be subsumed into one; Implementation Environment. Hopefully enough, this is where Kogi State Government under Governor Wada made the difference in terms of the international protocol called the Millennium Development Goal. (MDG)
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) are eight time bound international protocols for development, domesticated by one hundred and eighty-nine member States of the United Nation and International Development Institutions at the United Nation Millennium Summit in New York during the year 2000 for implementation. They are targeted at eradicating extreme hunger and poverty, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and women empowerment, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating Hiv/Aids, Malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing global partnership for development by year 2015.
The programme is domiciled at the Presidency employing the Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS) to fund the projects.
Projects under the conditional grant scheme kick started in year 2008 in Kogi State. In 2009, similar projects, with focus on Health, Water and Sanitation were executed; ditto 2011. However, in 2011 the Local Government track was injected into the programme commencing with three pilot Local Government Areas of Ajaokuta, Kabba/Bunu and Omala.
In year 2012, when Governor Wada assumed duty, something spectacular happened. The State accessed seven hundred and Six Million, Six hundred and Twenty-Seven Thousand, Five Hundred and Sixty-Seven Naira (N706,627,567) for State level projects and Eight Hundred Million Naira (N800,000,000) for Local Government level projects. Fifty-three projects, comprising twenty-three primary Health Care projects and thirty solar powered motorized bore-holes where executed at the State level while three hundred and thirty projects were executed at the Local Government level. The number of Local Government Areas covered were extended beyond the pilot Local Government Areas. Bassa, Igalamela/Odolu, Kogi and Okehi benefited in this. Details of these three hundred and thirty projects revealed a very interesting and impressive data. The scope of intervention were forty-five and a half percent Health and fifty-four and a half percent Education while the nature of activity cut across construction, rehabilitation and procurement of critical needs for health and basic education with other sundry yet important health and education materials. Further analysis revealed that ninety and a half percent were new projects while the remaining nine and a half percent consisted of rehabilitation and upgrading of existing facilities. In all these, over ninety percent have been completed.
According to the Special Adviser on Millennium Development Goals, Alhaji Yunusa Muhammed-Nasir, while briefing the State Executive Council recently; the 2012 projects were executed with vigor, and with all hands on deck.
The MDG projects rejuvenated during the administration of Governor Wada so much so that a commendation letter was received from the Senior Special Assistant to the President on (MDG) in Abuja for the feat attained by the Government of Kogi State in religiously implementing the planned projects. For this same reason, Kogi was one of the nine (9) States in the Federation funded in year 2013. Kogi State was also given the opportunity to increase the number of Local Government Track from six to eight Local Government Areas in the year 2013 projects cycle.
Viewed against the back drop of Governor Wada’s Transformation Agenda, the successes recorded in the MDG is not a magical feat. The concept of the Millennium Development Goals portends a complete change which is in tandem with the Transformation Agenda which forms the context within which the MDG operates in Kogi State, thereby providing a very conducive implementation environment.
In year 2013, the State benefited MDG projects worth over a Billion Naira out of which the State level projects were expected to gulp over Six Hundred Million Naira and the Local Government level was expected to benefit over Four Hundred Million Naira. These should cover Water, Sanitation, Health, Education and Capacity Building. According to the Special Adviser on MDG, letters of contract have been released and Contractors are already mobilized to site for the State level projects.
In order to secure patronage for the projects already put in place, village health workers have been appointed by the government to mobilize citizens for effective usage of the Health facilities. Agro-cooperative societies have also been developed in all the eight Local Governments Areas benefiting.
Taking advantage of the conducive environment already exploited to great benefit and achievement, call circular for the 2014 projects has been forwarded to the office of His Excellency and the engagement of consultants for the collation of projects for the current year (2014) for both Local Government and State is in the offing.
Given the speed, energy and commitment put into the implementation of the MDG in Kogi State within the last two years of Wada Administration vis-à-vis the achievement recorded so far, one would not exaggerate to conclude that going by this tempo, Kogi State under Wada is in a position to make the fifteen-year development goals a reality. This is the Kogi State Example for you.
Raji Usman is the Director Planning, Research and Documentation, Ministry of Information, Lokoja.
