For the people of Ondo State, it’s been an amazing week as the state hosted top business moguls, captains of industries, and public and private investors, among several others, at the Develop Ondo Summit 2.0
Mr. Omotola Ariyo speaking during the panel session
This summit served as a testament to the state’s commitment to becoming not only a business-friendly destination but also a region teeming with immense economic potential for the nation’s prosperity.
DG’s speech delivered by Mr. Olumuyiwa
The Akeredolu-led administration deserves commendation for orchestrating this momentous feat. Their dedication and vision have played a pivotal role in bringing together such a high-profile event that resonates positively with investors. This summit not only instills confidence in the investor community but also reinforces Ondo State’s position as an economic powerhouse with vast opportunities for national growth.
We take great delight in our contributions to the success of this historic summit. Under the leadership of our Director General, Engr. Babajide Akeredolu, we have continued to play a pivotal role in facilitating positive engagement that will boost the ‘one administration’, vision of the Akeredolu-led administration.
Guests at the summit
Additionally, applause is in order for the Local Organising Committee, skillfully chaired by Hon. Razak Obe, whose meticulous planning and execution have led to an unforgettable and seamless event.
Engr. Razaq Obe
The Develop Ondo Investment Summit 2.0 has undoubtedly left a lasting impression and would open doors to new possibilities, partnerships, and investments. As Ondo State continues to march towards progress and prosperity, we look forward to witnessing the positive impact of this summit on the state’s economy and its people’s well-being.
Interview Session with the Deputy Governor of Ondo State
Other photos from the just concluded Develop Ondo Investment summit 2.0
Interview session with Ondo State Commissioner for FinanceInterview session with the Special Adviser to the Ondo State Government on entrepreneurshipInterview session with NDDC Executive Director, Projects
One of the most profound lines from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address in 1863 says that “government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the earth”. This line has been used severally in defining democracy in modern times. However, the focus in this piece is the original intent of the message – equitable good governance for all. Since governance is people-centred as defined above, then, service delivery must take the fore for any form of development to occur. Consequently, to make the achievement of equitable good governance a reality, it is critical that service delivery is judged to be “effective”. This requires a framework for performance, implementation, and monitoring.
Ondo State workforce, under the insightful leadership of Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON has started imbibing the consciousness of service delivery on all fronts, as it has been identified as the catalyst for improved revenue generation and all-round development in the State.
Mr Governor and some members of the Transition Strategy and Implementation Committee (TSIC)
The journey to this epiphany began in January 2021, when Mr. Governor constituted the Transition Strategy and Implementation Committee (TSIC), to handle modalities for a seamless transition into his second term in office. Obviously, post-mortems of the first term had to be done, to set building blocks for the second term. This provided a moment of self-reflection and critical feedback on all government officials. During the rounds of stakeholder engagements and high-level analyses, the missing gap revealed itself. Yes, the State was short on funds and needed to draw in investments from local and foreign partners, but the internal cohesion expected from a potential investment hub, due to its plethora of resources and its geographical location (the gateway to the eastern and northern parts of the country), was lacking. It was glaring. Service delivery and ‘One Administration’ were the keys that could improve revenue generation, bolstered by a framework for performance, implementation, and monitoring. In addition, the limited funding to states from the federation account required a systemic strategy that would prioritize efficient spending for maximum impact. It is again no surprise that Ondo State was one of only six states, whose total expenditure in 2021 declined by 6.73% from N142.81BN in 2020 to N133.20BN in 2021. The need to reduce cost of governance may be a punchline in political circles, but for the Sunshine State, it was a target that was defined and then put into effect through the simple mantra of “Efficient Service Delivery and ‘One Administration’”.
REDEEMED Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
As it is said, once a problem is identified, the solution is not too far off. In addition to drafting the policy direction of the second term (REDEEMED Agenda), the Transition Strategy and Implementation Committee swiftly proposed the establishment of a delivery unit which will focus on the major machineries of service delivery – performance of agencies of government and the delivery of projects. These will be monitored vis-à-vis the overall objective of the Administration to leave no project abandoned.
One of the foundational pillars for the delivery unit such as Communication and Collaboration was infused into the Induction Ceremony held for Political appointees and Permanent Secretaries in the Public Service of the State in April 2021. For a forward-looking State, every major player in the team must understand its policy direction and how it has been linked to a more global template – the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Also, they must understand the importance of working together for the common goal of the State. Thus, sectoral focus groups, otherwise called ‘clusters’ were created, namely: Agriculture and Infrastructure, Institutional Development, Economic Development, Human Capital Development, and Financial and Procurement Services. To operationalize this cluster framework, Cluster Leads were provided with an explicit mandate to ensure projects in Ondo State are: 1) subject to performance standards; 2) are appropriately monitored via health checks on project statuses; and 3) are subject to implementation frameworks in line with both PPIMU’s performance standards and relevant project mandates.
PPIMU’s pillars
Fast forward to December 2021, the full structure of the delivery unit was ready, and Mr. Governor graciously issued the Executive Order establishing the Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPIMU). The Unit, which is domiciled in the Office of the Governor is meant to perform four (4) functions – Collect, consolidate, and condense performance-related data; Collaborate with others in the organization to instill a collaborative culture across government parastatals; Coordinate the implementation of the administration’s goals and agenda; and Communicate the results across different layers of government. While this sounds simple, a closer look reveals its hydra-headed difficulty, since government is multi-faceted, multi-layered, and multi-sectoral; but is often addressed as one anonymous entity – ‘government’. Everyone and everyone constitute government; but mostly, only one person answers when the chips are down – the Chief Executive. Hence, the importance of the Leadership tracking the performance of its initiatives and its drivers – the Public Service (political appointees and civil servants).
Thus, to make the herculean task of PPIMU easier, the Unit sought the assistance of the delivery unit of the Government of Senegal, Operational Office for Monitoring the Emerging Senegal Plan (BOS/PSE). The delivery unit, which is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) is helping PPIMU deconstruct the project prioritization pathway for Ondo State and proffer monitoring and evaluation templates suitable for the objective of Efficient Service Delivery. While some of the methods being initiated might be unfamiliar with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who implement government’s projects and programs, PPIMU is doing its best to push the advocacy frontier for a more data-driven operational model in MDAs. There is therefore significant data and statistical drive that cut across all clusters in PPIMU. The paradigm must change, if the promised land is to be reached.
The BOS Team with Mr. Governor and the TSIC on their scoping mission to Ondo State
With its freshly minted Executive Order containing its mandates and operational modalities, the PPIMU fully immersed itself in the Cabinet Retreat organized for Political Office Holders and Top Civil Servants, which held on the 5th of February 2022 at Owo, Ondo State. Barely a month into its establishment, one would envisage teething problems for an event of such magnitude. However, the Unit with its very lean team, among other deliverables during the 3-day event, was able to facilitate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BudgIT Nigeria, to improve budgetary and financial transparency in the State. Although the State had already hit a major milestone with its 2nd position national ranking in the 2020 Budget Transparency Index; however, with good is always a room for better, hence, the MoU. Stemming from that partnership are myriad capacity development program lined up for public office holders in the State House of Assembly and the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget. Also, the deployment of TRACKA is underway for collecting feedback monitoring of projects, thereby increasing the transparency status of government.
The Ondo State team signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BudgIT Nigeria at the 2022 Retreat for Political Office Holders and Accounting Officers
Having caught a fresh motivation from resolutions and discussion points at the Retreat, PPIMU honed on its Coordination and Collaboration mandate by setting up ‘Deep Dives’ into sectors that form the nucleus of the administration’s objective and policy direction. Although, some of these sectors had already been flagged from the Transition Strategy and Implementation Committee post-mortem phase, their importance required a more frontal approach.
Due to the deep-dive session, there was a breakthrough with the Forestry sector of the State. For a State with 16 Forest reserves which have the potential to contribute 20% of the State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and yet is being plagued by encroachers, illegal mining activities, mismanagement of revenue, inappropriate data of reserve and worse of all, depletion; something had to be done quickly. To address these and more, PPIMU proposed the constitution of the Forestry Management Committee – amulti-agency team comprising the major MDAs in the Forestry Sector of the State. Their mandate was broken down into three major focus areas: determination of the status of the forestry sector, review the Legal framework and structure of the forestry sector, and develop a forestry management framework and its economic potentials. Scratching the surface of this task involved a Stakeholders Engagement with various stakeholders (government and non-government actors). The session was held on the 10th of May 2022. As envisaged, it exposed the key issues hampering the optimal functionality of the sector. Some of the issues raised are currently being addressed through advocacy, data gathering and reconciliation. Other sectors such as Energy, Physical Planning, Health, and Finance are getting the required attention.
Mr. Governor with some Members of EXCO and Accounting Officers in Ondo State Government during the 2022 Ondo State Cabinet Retreat
The holy book states that “Money answers all things.” PPIMU agrees only to the extent of the availability of the money, especially where governance is concerned. With the global problem of paucity of funds for the execution of projects and the peculiar Nigerian problem of dwindling allocation from the Federation Account to states monthly, the need to strategize financial allocation of resources became top priority. Hence, the bright idea of a Liquidity Management Committee. The already constituted Committee is meant to determine the projects to be financed in the State. This way, there is a defined tracking of how much has been spent on each sector and the ratio of financial commitment and impact. Where there is an imbalance, the figures will speak at a glance.
While PPIMU is majorly a high-level policy enabling unit, its compact size does not give it the tentacles for monitoring of implementation at all levels. The Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government are the machineries for implementation of government policy. This invariably means that they know where the shoe pinches and can offer practicable solutions to them. This peculiarity and the need to build a sustainable reward system for innovative Civil Servants at the level of Office of the Head of Service birthed the Civil Service Innovation Challenge. The maiden edition of the competition was contested on the 25th of November 2022, and the top 3 winners were awarded cash prizes at the 2022 Public Service Week grand finale.
Ondo State has always had the potential to be the next grandiose thing after Lagos State. One of the impediments was the absence of a continuous forum for a rendezvous of investors and industrialists and the enabling environment for visible transformation. This lacuna was first addressed through the first industrial summit – Develop Ondo which was held in 2018. The prospects of the potential of the State has improved since then, especially with the establishment of new MDAs and PPIMU, which can track the progress of socio-economic development across all sectors. Therefore, the State is currently putting modalities in place for the establishment of the second edition of the State’s investment summit – DEVELOP ONDO 2.0. It is scheduled to come up in the first quarter of the year 2023.
Overall, the objective of PPIMU is to become an effective dashboard for performance in the State. While there might be doubts about the unit being a jack of many trades and expert in none, the diversity in the specializations of its team and the modus operandi of being a supporting delivery unit to the already existing structures within Public Service, gives it leverage to emplace frameworks for the delivery of the REDEEMED Agenda and the robust development of Ondo State.
The Ondo State Government remains committed to utilizing the Sustainable Development Goals through the REEDEEMED agenda of the Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON led administration to sustain adequate development and sustainability in the State.
The top 5 candidates at the Innovation Challenge
In light of the aforementioned, the Ondo State government through it’s Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPIMU) in collaboration with the Office of the Head of Service and Reform office has introduced the Civil Service Innovation Challenge to the State. The aim of this project is to help bring out and harness the creativity of Civil Servants, and the first edition paid attention to the first three thematic areas of the REDEEMED Agenda of Mr. Governor.
The maiden edition of the Challenge witnessed an impressive turnout of Civil Servants in the State; however, after the preliminary rounds, the best five candidates were selected to pitch their innovative ideas to the judges, who were strategically chosen to evaluate their performance.
After rigorous assessments by the judges, three persons emerged as the winners of the competition, they are Mr. Adeola Richard Alonge (1st place), Mr. Olaseni Olubunmi Foluso (2nd place), and Mrs. Oladipo Joycelyn Omobola (3rd Place). They were all awarded with cash prices at the grand finale of the 2022 Public Service Week.
Among these Judges are the DG PPIMU, Engr. Babajide Akeredolu, Princess Catherine Oladunni Odu, and the Secretary to the State Government. Pastor Kayode Ogundele, FCIPM, Head of Service; Mr. Dare Aragbaiye, SA, Union Matters and Special Duties Dr. Patrick Tolani, Renewable Energy Consultant Ms. Etami Akinnuoye, Country Coordinator, Auda-Nepad.
Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit among others is pleased to inform you of the successful execution of the maiden edition of the Civil Service Innovation Challenge, which took place on November 25, 2022, at the Ondo State Internal Revenue with the help of the different stakeholders.
Interview session with the DG. PPIMU, Engr. Bababjide Akeredolu
The DG of PPIMU, Engr. Babajide Akeredolu, expressed his appreciation to the participants and how impressed he is to know that the people in the Service are creative people, who can come up with strategic solutions to the problems in the State. He tagged the program “preliminary but amazing,” as this is just the first step to getting more innovative ideas. As this is just the maiden edition, he encouraged more people to participate in subsequent ones and make their creativity known to the public.
Princess Oladunni Odu, the first female Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Ondo State
Princess Oladunni in her speech encouraged the audience to participate in the next edition and informed them of the likely upgrade of the prizes, considering the depth of potentials within the Service. Other judges also made known their appreciation and encouraged the Civil Servants to keep the flag flying while doing their jobs the right way.
The Innovation Challenge is one of the activities designed for the second edition of Develop Ondo (DEVELOP ONDO 2.0). The main programme itself is slated to hold in March, 2023.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union (EU) have joined forces to provide crucial support to Ondo State, Nigeria, in its efforts to enhance investment promotion and boost tax revenue. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for the state’s sustainable development and economic growth.
Under the leadership of the Ondo State Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPIMU), consultations were initiated with the UNDP in July 2022, resulting in a partnership that is positioned to yield remarkable results. This support comes at an opportune time, coinciding with the Develop Ondo 2.0 Investment Summit scheduled for July 2023, where the state aims to attract investments and bolster its economic potential.
Leveraging the expertise and financial backing of the UNDP-EU, Ondo State is focused on strengthening investment promotion and revenue generation. Key entities such as the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) and the Ondo State Internal Revenue Service (ODIRS) will be receiving targeted assistance to effectively market investment opportunities and enhance tax mobilization efforts.
Today, on the occasion of World Hydrography Day, the science concerned with the systematic study and characterization of the physical attributes of the Earth’s surface that are conducive to navigate, both the navigable areas of water bodies and the contiguous coastal regions.
The Ondo State Government shares a remarkable development in the State by unveiling the Alape River Charts—a groundbreaking initiative that will revolutionize maritime navigation in our region. This collaborative effort between the State Government and the Navy Hydrography Unit highlights her commitment to strategic development of the maritime sector.
Mr. Babajide Akeredolu, DG of PPIMU alongside his team, developed a well-thought-out plan to effectively leverage our inland maritime capabilities, ensuring a streamlined and efficient process for reaping its benefits.
The newly unveiled Maritime Chart of Alape provides precise navigation routes, spanning from Ipare in Ilaje to Apapa. This comprehensive chart will be instrumental in shaping our transportation strategy along the inland waterways, empowering our growth plans in agriculture (Oil Palm and Cocoa) and minerals (Bitumen, granite, and more).
Ondo State is bestowed with the Alape River, a valuable resource that holds immense potential. We express our appreciation to the Nigerian Navy for their assistance in recognizing the significance of this river and the multitude of benefits it offers. With the navigational chart provided by the Nigerian Navy, the state can effectively harness the remarkable opportunities presented by this historic gift. We can now confidently navigate the waters, fostering seamless trade and unlock the immense potential of our resources.
Under the visionary leadership of the Executive Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.SAN, Ondo State recognizes its capacity to be both independent, with the ongoing deep seaport project, and a complement to the bustling Lagos Ports.
These invaluable charts will be housed within the Ministry for Transport, and eventually made accessible through the Ondo State GIS platform. This accessibility will benefit investors, security agencies, and all stakeholders involved in our region’s maritime activities. By embracing technology and fostering collaboration, we are creating an enabling environment for investment, security, and progress.
On this World Hydrography Day, let us celebrate the milestone achieved in Ondo State—the unveiling of the Alape River Charts. This momentous occasion signifies our unwavering commitment to harnessing the power of hydrography for the benefit of our people, our economy, and our region’s overall development. Together, let us navigate towards a brighter and more prosperous future on the waves of progress.
Following a resounding and well-attended maiden edition of the Ondo State Civil Service Innovation Challenge organized by Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPIMU) in collaboration with the Reform Office, Office of the Head of Service, the Challenge has attracted private sector investment of one of the bright ideas presented at the event.
An organization – Community Energy and Social Enterprise presented a cash donation to Mr. Olubunmi Olaseni, who came second in the competition having presented an innovation on BIOGAS, which caught the attention of the CEO of the donating company, who was a panelist for the competition.
The presentation was held in the office of the Head of Service of the State, Pastor Kayode Ogundele, FCIPM on the 26th of January, 2023. In his comments, the CEO of the donating company, Dr, Patrick Tolani stated that he was drawn to the idea while the presentation was being done because of his involvement in the renewable energy space. According to him, innovations should not be too capital intensive to make an appreciable difference and it is always the delight of the private sector to see that the public sector can be partnered with, for societal development.
Presentation of cash by Dr. Patrick Tolani
The Head of Service, Pastor Kayode Ogundele, FCIPM was very appreciative of the gesture and expressed his profound gratitude to the donor for leading the way in supporting ideas from the Innovation Challenge. He expressed belief that with his donation, others can be drawn to the initiatives from the public service. He also encouraged Olaseni to deliver his project because, “to whom much is given much is expected and urged people in the service to do better so as to portray a good government.”
Furthermore, the State Head of Service stated that, “civil servants should not just be arm-chair critics. We should not just be onlookers. We should be solution providers. The essence of bringing us into the chairs and tables we are occupying is because the government felt we should add value. We are expected in one little way or the other and in our various little corners to contribute our quota such that that holistic goal of the government to touch the lives of the people is achieved.”
In attendance at the presentation, was the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Union Matters and Special Duties, Mr Dare Aragbaye, who opined that one of the banes of development was lack of follow-up on previous ideas in past. He lauded Dr. Tolani’s move towards realizing the major goals of the Innovation Challenge and boosting the morale of other Civil Servants to become more productive.
It would be recalled that the maiden edition of the Civil Service Innovation Challenge held on the 25th of November, 2022 and saw the emergence of three brilliant Civil Servants as winners at the final stage of the innovation competition. The 2023 edition of the annual programme is already in the works and details shall be announced soon.
