As Federal Government strive to meet its Next Level Agenda promises to the electorates, stakeholders have called for the appointment of meritocratic, pragmatic and honest persons as heads of Revenue Generating Agencies (RGAs).
The advise was part of over 50 recommendations made by the stakeholders during the maiden Monthly Policy Dialogue on funding the next level agenda organized in Abuja by the office of the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Policy Development and Analysis, Alhaji Ibrahim Bapetel.
Other recommendations include encouraging concession and creation of department to act an institutional monitor and evaluator of RGAs, Anti Corruption Agencies (ACAs) etc to gauge their performances.
The stakeholders made up of economic experts, representatives of NLC, MAN, TUC and academicians, advised that borrowing should be for income generating infrastructure, while recoveries made by ACAs should be properly utilized in infrastructure.
They also suggested the formulation of strategic goals and their implementation to build citizens’ confidence and tasked APC states to developed performance indicators.
While calling for reduction in high cost of governance, the stakeholders tasked government to ensure that service delivery was consistent with taxes.
They cautioned government against removing fuel subsidy so as not to increase the sufferings of Nigerians and called for the repairs or construction of new refineries to contain unnecessary importation of fuel.
Earlier speaking at the opening of the maiden monthly policy dialogue, chairman of the session, Prof. Sadeeue Abubakar, urged participants to proffer solutions and index for funding next level agenda.
Welcoming participants at the dialogue, the SSA to the President on Policy Development and Analysis, Alhaji Ibrahim Bapetel, said the policy dialogue was part of measures to obtain ideas and policy suggestions that would assist the APC led government of President Muhammadu Buhari to impact positively on Nigerians.
In his remarks, the Technical Assistant to the SSA, Dr Abdulrahman Abu Hamisu, spoke on funding challenges and the dynamics of how to generate fund to actualize the next level agenda.
Hamisu identified prudent management, infrastructure delivery and anti corruption as some of the fundamental agenda of the Buhari administration as contained in the economic recovery and growth plan.
Highlight of the dialogue is the presentation of papers titled “Funding the Next Level Agenda: Challenges and Prospects” and “Funding Next Level Agenda: Overcoming the Challenges of Corruption and Abuse of Public Office in Nigeria” by Prof. Jide Oladipo and Dr Elvis Oglafa respectively.
