Result-based governance goes beyond merely celebrating activities to show one is working.
It is about delivering quality outputs that leads to outcomes with evident impact on the lives of the people.
It is about building standard healthcare facilities that will increase access to quality services thereby reducing child and maternal mortality.
It is about building standard schools that will improve delivery of learning outcomes thereby producing a skilled workforce with the capacity to contribute to meaningful and sustainable development.
It is about constructing standard roads that will facilitate and enable robust economic activities leading to wealth creation for the individual and prosperity for the nation.
It is about social protection programs and interventions that serves as a springboard out of poverty and dependency into a life of productivity and dignity for the poor and vulnerable.
To arrive at these desired results, a number of questions must be answered (the list is not exhaustive):
– how much was allocated to the project in the budget?
– was the guideline followed in awarding the contract?
– is the contractor qualified and has the experiential, technical and financial capacity to deliver it?
– did the contractor engage with the benefitting community stakeholders and available them the contract data before commencing?
– did the contractor procure the materials at the best price without compromising quality?
– is the contractor delivering the project timely, based on specifications and within budget?
– is the project being delivered in a way it will achieve its objectives and benefit the people in the long term?
– is the project being tracked, monitored and evaluated by the relevant government institutions and community stakeholders?
The answers to these questions is going to be the difference between mere celebration of activities that will end up either poorly done or abandoned, or outputs that will deliver sustainable outcomes to the benefit of the people.
Today, it is common knowledge that we have schools, hospitals etc that were publicly unveiled and celebrated but deteriorated a few months after. This is because the above questions were not asked and followed through with.
Development is not a partisan issue, it is a serious business that will ensure the security, welfare and survival of the people are guaranteed.
Lets engage, ask the right questions and hold the government accountable.
Yusuf Ishaku Goje
Active Citizen
