Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi State was placed 3rd position in the ICAN Accountability and Transparency Index for the 2021 assessment year.
This achievement was made known by the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Mallam Tijjani Musa FCA, during a public presentation and award to Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State held recently at the Council Chambers of the institute in Victoria Island, Lagos.
During the event, the ICAN boss commended Governor Bala Mohammed and his dynamic team of professional accountants for their outstanding commitment, extraordinary performance and high sense of accountability and transparency which they brought to bear in administering the public finances of Bauchi State.
Governor Bala Mohammed alongside four other governors were nominated in appreciation of their outstanding performance during the period under review towards the progress and financial development of their respective states.
The administration of Governor Bala Mohammed has during the period of assessment introduced various public service reforms to improve fiscal discipline in public procurement, debt management and implementation of the fiscal responsibility law to specifically and most importantly eliminate, block leakages and waste in the implementation of capital budget.
Other yardsticks used in measuring the Bala Mohammed’s administration is the newly introduced Treasury Single Account (TSA) tax administration which assisted in eliminating multiple taxation and additional sources of revenue in the state. Additionally, the phenomenal growth in IGR.
Furthermore, regular payment of counterpart funds, one of the hallmarks of the Bala Mohammed’s administration has earned the state regular inclusion in the programmes of the Federal Government and several development partners, as the financial partners have developed greater confidence in the state’s ability to meet its obligations.
Similarly, with the support of a team of committed technocrats, politicians, patriotic stakeholders, key traditional rulers, the administration has created a new narrative in service delivery in the state. These people-oriented development programmes are spread across the state, in terms of infrastructure and human development in the areas of roads construction rehabilitation of critical urban and rural roads, health, education agriculture, massive housing projects, water supply as well as youth and women empowerment.
These variables according to ICAN stimulate sustained economic growth, enhances accountability, transparency, ease of doing business and reduce corrupt practices which ensured fiscal discipline in the public service of Bauchi State.
Governor Bala Mohammed was represented at the event by the Accountant General, Dr, Sa’idu Abubakar accompanied by Comrade Mukhtar GIDADO, Special Adviser Media and publicity to the state admirable, Governor.
In his vote of thanks after receiving the award, Dr Sa’idu Abubakar applauded the Governing Board of ICAN for the recognition and honour done to the entire people of Bauchi State, where he said Bauchi State is indeed deeply elated to rank 3rd on the ICAN -AI Assessment of 2021 and described it as a huge leapfrog from the rank of 20th in the 2020 report, which was an evidence that the State is doing the right thing that strive to surpass the previous performance.
