By Edith Ike-Eboh
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) National Secretariat, Princes Gloria Akobundu, has expressed Nigeria’s readiness for the second round of APRM.
Akobundu made this known in her speech delivered in Addis Ababa, on Thursday, and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
She noted that the country had put in place all necessary structures for the effective implementation of a second peer review process of the APRM.
Speaking on the implementation of APRM process in Nigeria at the 30th meeting of the Committee of APRM Focal points, she called for effective collaboration with APRM Nigeria National Secretariat to actualise the objectives of APRM.
The CEO of APRM Nigeria told the meeting that the review process in Nigeria was being effectively implemented through the support of President Muhammadu Buhari.
She listed national achievements in the implementation of the APRM process to include the revitalisation of a National Secretariat and effective implementation of the National Programme of Action.
Others, she added, included domestication of APRM at the state and local government levels and repositioning of APRM Nigeria for effective service delivery.
According to Akobundu, the Nigerian government has also demonstrated the political will and commitment to the APRM process.
This, she noted was reflected in the establishment of all the structures for the review process and conduct of second cycle review; composition and inauguration of the National governing Council structure as well as the digitalisation of the National Secretariat.
Furthermore, she added that APRM National secretariat had embarked on several anti-corruption crusades in collaboration with relevant law enforcement agencies in addition to a nationwide sensitization on violence free election and voters Education; and election Monitoring and Evaluation.
‘‘A side event on Migration and Bridging Africa’s Infrastructure Gap was held on the Margins of 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
‘‘A Side Event on Promotion of International Cooperation to Combat Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) to Strengthen Good Practices and Foster Resource Mobilisation for Africa’s Development was held at the margins of 74th UNGA.
‘‘Also, earlier in 2018, the President approved a Nationwide Sensitization on “Silencing the Guns” Agenda 2020 and Proliferation of Small Arms at the grassroots level,’’ she said.
Akobundu added that Nigeria was looking forward to welcoming the Mission Team to the Broad Sensitization/Training in Abuja from Feb. 27 to Feb. 28.
She thanked Prof. Eddy Maloka, CEO of APRM Continental Secretariat, and his team for providing support to the APRM National Secretariat towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2020 and Agenda 2030.
NAN recalls that Nigeria’s first peer review was conducted in 2008.
The upcoming peer review will cover all the six geo-political zones of the country and will begin with the Nigeria country’s self assessment Report.
The four thematic areas to be covered in the nation’s self assessment report process include: democracy and political governance; economic governance and management, corporate governance and socio-economic development and governance.
The APRM is a voluntary self-assessment criterion aimed at transformative leadership through the sharing of experiences amongst the 39 member states, which came into effect in 2003. (NAN)