The changing narratives at the Ministry of Special Duties and intergovernmental Affairs under Hon. Zephaniah Jisalo, MFR

One year in the life of an administration is too short a time to judge it, but because for so long the citizenry have a high sense of pessimism about the performances of the ministries, department and agencies MDA’s of government, it is therefore apt for us to take a look at certain Ministries who today we can say because of its changing narratives and performances in the last one year.

We can say we are optimistic that is on track to bring about the renewed hope we all desired. One of such Ministries is the Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs under the able leadership of Hon. Zaphaniah Jisalo, its Minister.

The Ministry of Special duties and Intergovernmental Affairs which was created to assist the government in carrying out special duties and helping in making sure that decisions made at the Federal Executive Council meetings are holistically implemented by all Ministries and reporting to the President and any other functions mandated it by the President like the supervision of all constituency projects embarked upon by the legislatoprs and the approvals for payments and the supervisory functions over such agencies under the Ministry like the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.

The National Lottery Trust Fund and the National Merit Award. It is right to say that the Ministry which since it’s creation is not known by the majority of of Nigerians because of its docility is today become a household name because by it’s capable leadership led by the Minister, Hon. Zaphaniah Jisalo and the impacts of the activities of the Ministry on the citizenry, the narratives at the Ministry has changed completely because of its new positives.

One of the impacts made by the Ministry in the past one year under the able leadership of Hon. Zaphaniah Jisalo is the fact that since the introduction of the constituency projects into the lexicon of our democratic and legislative functions in the country, many Nigerians have always seen the constituency projects as a largesse given to legislatures to use at their whims and caprices and not for the development and growth of their constituencies but today that narrative has changed as the Minister has made sure that those monies do not get directly to the pockets of the legislators.

Instead, the role of the legislatures today as it concerns constituency projects is basically the identification of projects that are needed directly in making the needed impact to their people and the government awarding such contracts which are supervised by the Ministry of Special duties and approved for payments by the Ministry of finance.

As of the last count in the last one year, the Ministry of Special duties have supervised and approved for payments after successful execution of these completed contract of about 700 projects scattered across various constituencies in Nigeria.

These we can say is a systematic departure from the past ways of executions of the constituency projects of members of the national assembly to a pragmatic ways where projects are approved for payments when verified by the government.

The Ministry of Special duties and intergovernmental Affairs during the last one year under the Minister,Hon. Zaphaniah Jisalo had reformed the agencies under it’s supervision like the National lottery trust fund which is an interventionist agency of government which uses the funds derived from the proceeds of gaming to intervene in various areas of needs in the country. The fund is now bringing succour to many areas and sectors of our national life because it is now free from corrupt tendencies of the past.

The Minister is making sure by his directives to the fund that contracts are now carried out after due diligence and competitive biddings are carried out and this has eliminated if not completely but to a larger percentage the unbridled corruption of the past at the national lottery thrust fund. The national lottery regulatory commission is today living up to expectation as it is today playing it’s regulatory roles perfectly thereby sanitizing the gaming industry in the country thereby increasing the revenue from gaming accruing to the federal government.

The launch of the strategic plan document for the Ministry by the Minister was a step in the right direction because the document contains a road map of policies and trajectories which the Ministry is following and implementing strategically to achieve it’s renewed hope mandate of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration.

The success of the Ministry under the leadership of Hon. Zaphaniah Jisalo when peer reviewed against other Ministries in the last one year can be said to be more than average and going forward the Minister has given us the assurance by his performance that more is expected from him because his first foot forward have shown that he indeed have the magic wand to make the Ministry a vital organ of government bringing about the realization of the hope we long wait for in the country.

Musa Wada, a public affairs analyst writes from Abuja