AKURE- Ondo State Government, on Monday, said it ranked third best in transparency, accountability in public fund management and public policy implementation in Nigeria.
Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs Bamidele Ademola-Olateju made this known statement issued in Akure.
Ademola-Olateru said that the state’s ranking was contained in a recent report by Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTIW), in partnership with MacArthur Foundation.
The commissioner, who said that CeFTIW considered six key areas, including accessibility, open budget, public procurement, human resources, anti-corruption and citizen engagement, named the top five states as Ekiti, Kaduna, Ondo, Lagos and Gombe.
According to her, Ondo is fortunate to have Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, “a man steeped in the notion of institutions as the decisive engine room for development” as its helmsman.
She said that the steady climb up the transparency and accountability ladder by the state was a laudable understanding of the foundations needed for sustainable, as opposed to ephemeral, development.
“Transparency leads to better costing of projects and better service delivery. It also helps to develop the institutional memory needed for the long term.
“Gov. Akeredolu, through this report, has earned his place in history as the custodian of the tradition of accountability.
“This sets a marker which must be institutionalised before the end of his tenure in office,” she said.
According to the commissioner, the gains must be protected, codified, protected and built upon. (NAN)
