Rivers Names Peer Review Team

The Rivers State Government has inaugurated a 21-member
State Steering Committee on the Peer Review Mechanism.

The committee, which has members drawn from key ministries,
departments and agencies directly involved in the Peer Review process, has the
state Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning Mr. Gogo Levi Charles as
its chairman.

Inaugurating the committee on behalf of the state Governor,
Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, the state Commissioner for Budget and Economic
Planning, Mr. Gogo Levi Charles said the core team will work with the
consultant in evaluating the performance of government along the assessment
instrument set by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

“This core team is expected to evaluate what government is
doing, how it is being done and to determine if the activities of government
conform with best practices”, Mr. Gogo Levi said.

According to him, “the core team also has the responsibility
to check if government business in the state is being conducted in line with
budgetary estimates”, assuring that the government “will train members of the
core State Peer Review Team” to enable them do their work according to the
specifications provided by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

“As a state, he continued, we need to show example because
at the last State Peer Review Mechanism Workshop in Port Harcourt, our people
demonstrated so much zeal towards knowing what government is doing “and we
cannot afford to disappoint them.”

Mr. Gogo Levi Charles, therefore, called on members of the
committee to be committed to the exercise, assuring that a secretariat of the
State Peer Review Mechanism has been opened in the Ministry of Budget and
Economic Planning to handle the operations of the committee.

Responding on behalf of the committee, Prof Ozo-Mekuri
Ndimele said members of the committee will put in their best to enable the
state put up a good appearance throughout the period of the review.

Prof Ndimele, who is representing the Rivers State Economic
Advisory Council on the committee, assured that the privilege to serve on the
committee will not be misplaced, and thanked Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi
for the honour done them.