One of the major outcomes of the Jigawa State Executive Council Retreat, held in September 2023, was the need to embed mechanisms to enhance the delivery of development priorities articulated in the Governor’s inaugural address and the administration’s 12-point agenda. Efforts to actualise this led to a series of technical engagements with support from the PERL team, culminating in the development of result frameworks for each of the commitments highlighted in the documents.    

It was therefore a historic moment for the Jigawa State Government and public sector accountability space on Tuesday, 30^th January, 2024, when the State Governor, Mallam Umar Namadi FCA, hosted an event to kickstart a Performance Management System that would drive the delivery of the administration’s development priorities. The event provided an opportunity for public office holders to sign performance bonds that signaled their commitments to the actualisation of the administration’s development priorities. The bonds were built on the back of a robust framework that delineates commitments into specific deliverables, targets, and timelines.

The highlight of the event was the signing of an Executive Order by the Governor to establish the Performance Management and Delivery Coordination Unit, to monitor the delivery of results covered in the Performance Bonds.

While delivering his remarks, Governor Umar Namadi stressed the importance of the Performance Management System in institutionalising accountability in public office, to ensure the delivery of developmental services to the citizens of Jigawa state. The Governor expressed his confidence in the transformational changes that would occur in the State if the issue of accountability is taken seriously.  

The National Program Manager of PERL, Ifeanyi Peters Ugwuoke, commended the Governor for taking the bold step in establishing the performance delivery unit. Reflecting on the State commitments to actualise this milestone since PERL supported the Executive Council retreat last year, Mr. Ugwuoke encouraged the State Government to adopt a razor-sharp business approach towards successful implementation.   

Development partners, including the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and programmes funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), pledged their commitments to support the State in actualising the targets set in the performance bonds across all sectors.