The Forum of State Secretaries to Government of All Progressives Congress-controlled states has pledged to drive state-specific reforms to expand internally-generated revenue (IGR).
By Emmanuel Mogbede
The Forum of State Secretaries to Government of All Progressives Congress-controlled states has pledged to drive state-specific reforms to expand internally-generated revenue (IGR).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was part of agreements reached at the end of the forum’s two-day strategic quarterly meeting on Friday in Abuja.
The forum’s Chairperson and Secretary to Kogi Government (SSG), Mrs Falashade Ayoade, said that the decision was taken in the interest of the people.
Ayoade said that the meeting served as a high-level platform to consolidate and institutionalise transformative policies through the design of prototype cutting-edge policy briefs for APC-governed states.
According to her, the initiative is critical in sustaining democratic dividends, enhancing state capabilities and ensuring progressive governance across all the 22 APC-controlled states.
Ayoade said that the meeting discussed boosting IGR, strategic youth development, accelerating digital governance and sub-national economic transformation, job creation and building national value reorientation.
“The forum resolved to drive state-specific reforms for expanding the IGR-base through data-driven tax administration, smart incentives for the informal sector, improved land use and signage charges and fiscal autonomy, while avoiding undue financial pressure on citizens,” she said.
The chairperson recommended institutionalising youth leadership pipelines to foster capacity development and long-term succession in public administration
She further stated that the forum also agreed to deepen citizens’ engagement at the grassroots to promote inclusive governance, transparency and stronger alignment between public policies and community needs.
Ayoade said that the forum resolved to champion e-government innovations, deploy shared digital infrastructure across ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and collaborate on inter-state data systems that enhanced service delivery and transparency.
Drawing from the sub-national Economic Transformation Brief, she pledged the forum’s commitment to supporting governors in driving economic diversification, skill training, agro-processing and local manufacturing initiatives.
This, she said, would address unemployment and elevate micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Ayoade added that the meeting committed to ending open defecation and resolved to localise sanitation policies by partnering with religious and traditional institutions.
She commended President Bola Tinubu for providing visionary leadership through the Renewed Hope Agenda and deploying youth potential as a national development asset.
The forum’s chairperson said that the president’s strategic focus on innovation, digital inclusion and economic recovery aligned with APC states’ reform priorities.
She also applauded the collective foresight and governance innovations of APC governors in entrenching reforms that delivered prosperity, enhanced productivity and upheld democratic ideals at the grassroots level.
Ayoade reaffirmed the forum’s loyalty to APC governors, saying it had resolved to strengthen mechanisms for transparency, accountability and performance-based delivery as well as to adopt digital tools to automate and ease governance processes.
She commended the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) Secretariat, under the leadership of Folorunso Aluko, its Director-General, for his exceptional technical coordination, visionary thought leadership and delivery of policy frameworks.
Earlier, Aluko while welcoming the SSGs, said that the meeting was a sacred convergence of minds charged with the burden of policy coordination, administrative coherence and transformative leadership across APC-governed states.
He noted that the county’s future would not be shaped by rhetoric or partisanship but precision of policy and integrity of governance.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that PGF is the umbrella body of serving governors elected on the platform of APC. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)