The Ogun State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Ms. Adenrele Adesina has said to achieve success in any set goal, especially in the public sector, effective planning, with the aid of appropriate research and statistics should not be over ruled.
She made this submission while declaring open, a three-day training capacity building programme tagged, “Overview of Effective Planning Process in the Public Sector”, for Project Support Unit and selected Officers from the State Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and six participating Local Government Areas (LGAs), under the 2015 Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS)/LGAs Track Projects at Ifo, Ewekoro LGA.
Adenrele, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Alhaji Hassan Adekunle, said accurate data in planning would not only help to achieve success, but prevent avoidable errors in the course of implementing the projects.
While describing planning as a goal-getter and futuristic, Adenrele identified improper planning as a root cause of economic problem experiencing in the nation, saying short term strategies were used for long term decisions and all actions and inactions of government are embedded in planning process, which is also vital instrument for budgeting activities in the state.
According to her, Planning was the first management function that should never be taken for granted in planning, saying that, ‘’he who fails to plan, plans to fail”.
She noted that the training was one of the approved and critical components under the Governance and Administration aspect of the 2015 CGS/LGAs Track Projects, noting that, it was organised by the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable development Goals (SDGs), in collaboration with the State Government, to equip and empower staff to be more effective in discharging their duties, especially on activities relating to the implementation and sustainability of SGD projects.
In his goodwill message, the Director, Central Department of Statistics, Mr David Alao, enjoined participants to see the training as opportunity to be well informed about SGD programmes in the State, widen their knowledge to understand the right data to gather for the implementation of SDG programmes.
“Some data are obsolete compared to current expectations nationally and internationally, they cannot fit current reality of life. I therefore expect all Planning Officers present, to key into SDG goals in planning State and Local Government Areas programmes, in conformity with International standards
The Director of Planning and the State SDG Focal Person, Mrs. Yetunde Olatunbosun, in her welcome address, said SDG was a global goal with 17 goals designed for all nations to key in for their development.
She advised participants to identify where their various agencies could fit, in order to achieve desirable development in the State.
Participants at the training were Directors of Administration and Supplies and Planning Research and Statistics of selected MDAs, as well as Engineers, Monitoring and Evaluation Officers and Directors of Planning, Research and Statistics from six Local Government Areas, under the 2015CGS/LGAs Track Projects.