The federal government has inaugurated a Ministerial Performance Delivery Unit (MPDU) for the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA) to facilitate processes aimed at ensuring that reports to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) conform with the required standards.
Members of the MPDU, drawn from various projects department of the ministry and the Nigeria Delta Commission (NDDC), are meant to work towards optimum performance as well as effective service delivery.
While inaugurating the newly-constituted MPDU at the weekend in Nasarawa State, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Babayo Ardo, said it would train a select staff of the unit, and is expected to build capacity of participants towards assisting the ministry to achieve the five deliverables assigned by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ardo, who was represented by the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS), MNDA, Mr. Alfred Abba, during the inauguration, said that the purpose of constituting the MPDU was to assist the ministry in facilitating the reporting processes that would ensure reports to the OSGF, meet the required standard and optimal performance, as well as effective service delivery.
A statement issued by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Patricia Deworitshe, quoted the permanent secretary as adding that members of the Unit are expected to serve as liaison officers between their respective departments in the ministry and the NDDC, as well as the ministry’s team in PRS department towards tracking the progress of implementation on the five deliverables for appropriate reporting.
According to him, the new unified performance management results framework, which incorporates all ministerial deliverables have direct impact on the priorities, and have been developed by the OSGF with a dashboard in the office of the President, SGF, permanent secretary (Cabinet Affairs Office) to measure and track MDAs’ performance in the implementation of the ministerial deliverables, as well as the delivery of priority areas against negotiated targets.
The permanent secretary urged participants to recognise the enormous premium placed on the assignment by the Ministry and consider it as very important for the ministers to deliver their mandate, noting that the selection among staff is based on dedication, commitment and diligence to duty.
He acknowledged the continued support of OSGF to the ministry in delivering on its mandate through series of engagements, which include a retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the bilateral meetings on ministerial mandates and several other collaborative engagements with the office, in the past.
Earlier in his welcome address, the representative of the Director, PRS, Deputy Director Policy and Planning, Mr. Yinka Arogundade, pointed out that the MPDU was established as a follow-up to the directive given by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) mandating MDAs to constitute the Unit.
He said: “It is expedient to state that the constitution of MPDU is to collaborate with the Central Delivery Coordinating Unit of the OSGF in the attainment of government performance on programmes and projects in the Niger Delta region.”
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