When he stepped in the saddle as Minister of State for Budget and National Planning on August 21, 2019, his core mandates were clearly spelt out for him, and therefore, he did not waste time in hitting the ground running towards the achievement of the mandates. Prince Agba was very intentional, purposeful, and sharply focused on his mission in government: to contribute his quota by keeping fidelity to the mandates’ delivery as a member of the cabinet.
His core mandates where he made remarkable successes and left indelible footprints were budgeting where, acting in concert with other stakeholders in the executive, the legislature and civil society organisations, he emplaced a predictable annual January to December budget calendar. As minister of state, he directly supervised the Budget Office of the Federation,bthe engine room, which warehoused the budgets as prepared by the ministry and passed by the National Assembly. Until the administration ended on May 29, 2023, the preparation and passage of the annual budget had always been expeditiously done.
Another core mandate was National Planning wherein he developed the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2025 and the Perspective Plan-Nigeria Agenda 2050, which were both launched by the last administration on the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari (now former). The NDP 2021 – 2025 was a Medium-Term Plan. A number of activities were accomplished under this core mandate, to wit: the preparation of implementation plan for NDP 2021 – 2025, which was for effective delivery of the Plan; the production of abridged version of NDP 2021 – 2025 for printing and dissemination, which was to ensure increased awareness and sensitization among the Nigerian populace; development of a Volume III of the NDP 2021 – 2025, which covered the legislative imperatives to ensure continuity of the Plan and remove the binding constraints militating against the Private Sector drive of the plan; and the subsequent launch of Nigeria Agenda 2050 by the administration, which gave direction for government’s policies for over a 30 year-period.
Besides, on the watch of Prince Agba, the ministry set up an Inter- Ministerial Technical Committee on identification and Selection of suitable programmes and projects that were admitted into NDP 2021 – 2025 that could be funded through PPP arrangements as well as ensured the establishment of Implementation Unit (2021), whose objective was to fast track the implementation of the plan.
Yet another core mandate of the ministry on Prince Agba’s watch was National Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). Significantly, he led his team in the ministry to develop a framework for National M & E Policy, which former President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, launched at a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
Prince Agba led his team on monitoring and evaluation of federal government projects across the country, especially those executed under the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP). The plan was put together by the Economic Sustainability Committee (ESC), chaired by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ESP helped to build resilience for the nation’s health sector through the building of molecular laboratories, Intensive Care Units, and procurement of Personal Protective Equipment, among others. The Plan also helped in ensuring integrated rural development through construction and rehabilitation of rural roads across the agro-corridors to address the perennial problem of post-harvest losses. Under the ESP implementation, Prince Agba inspected and inaugurated Federal Government Projects in the country.
In a planned bid to address the fundamental problem of ineffective monitoring and evaluation, Prince Agba surmounted seeming odds to accomplish the development of a citizen-based web app-THE EYEMARK-(eyemark.ng) to enable Nigerians in the country and in the Diaspora to track execution of capital projects and report progress to government.
He also accomplished the implementation of GRID3 Technology, which deploys Geospatial data for evidence-based decision making and promotion of effective coordination. Specifically, he was co-chair of GRID3 Nigeria Project, which worked across all states in Nigeria to collect accurate, complete, and geo-spatially-referenced data, relevant to a variety of sectors.
Although, not one of the core mandates, Prince Agba was also, until the expiration of his tenure in office on May 29, 2023, State Actor Co-Chair of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in Nigeria, an enterprise to which he gave his commitment. Under his leadership, Nigeria was able to achieve, through her commitment to the principles of the OGP, among others, improved budgetary processes; improved procurement processes; boosting of Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight through the introduction of transparency in company ownership (establishment of Beneficial Ownership Register); earning of global recognition for beneficial ownership effort; earning of global recognition and awards for OGP commitments.
Also achieved were creation of budget line for OGP in the national budget; earning of global recognition for Nigeria’s effort in extractive transparency; and, increase in sub-national transparency and accountability effort. In fact, the OGP, as of the time Prince Agba was in the saddle, was gradually transforming the governance ecosystem in Nigeria. It is thus pertinent that successive governments in Nigeria should strive to sustain the OGP and even show more political will to consolidate on its successes.
Other outstanding achievements of Prince Agba while in office as Minister of State for Budget and National Planning included, among others, the development of Nigeria’s food system pathways implementation strategy; launching of the multi-dimensional poverty index (MPI) measuring tools; Multi-dimensional Child poverty analysis (2022); Situation analysis of children (SItAN), 2022; Review of National Social Protection Policy (NSPP), 2021; Food System Dialogues from National level to grassroots level; the World Bank-Assisted Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRIN) Projects; the Nigeria COVID – 19 Action and Recovery Economic Stimulus (NG – CARES) which has been extended by a year and was harvesting testimonies of beneficiaries from all the states in the six geopolitical zones at a series of townhall meetings held in the twilight of Prince Agba’s tenure.
They also included the establishment of Gender Unit with institutional support for Government-Donor joint funding facility on Gender Equity and women empowerment; Joint Planning Board/National Council on Development; Community of Practice (COP); Production of the Reviewed National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NHMP) 2020 – 2043; and, the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperative Framework (UNSDCF) 2023 – 2027.
On Prince Agba’s watch, the ministry also coordinated the European Union support for the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC) and the National Agency for the prohibition of trafficking in persons for the launch of the sexual offenders’ Register, the first of its kind in Nigeria; coordinated the European Union Support for Niger Delta support Programme 3 (NDSP 3); coordinated the European Union Support for Niger Delta Support Programme 4 (NDSP 4); coordinated the European Union Support Action against Trafficking in persons and smuggling of Migrants (TIPSOM); ensured the production of the reviewed National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan; Supported the European Union Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN improvement of the Nigeria Electoral Management Body (EMB) and increased youths and people living with disability (PLWD) participation in Electoral System); coordinated the European Union Support response to drugs and related organized crimes in Nigeria in the development and publication of the National Drug control master plan for Nigeria, 2015 – 2020, and 2021 – 2025 and both were endorsed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and, coordinated the European Union Support on criminal Justice Responses, Terrorism and violent extremism.
It is for the reasons enumerated supra that the Board of Editors of National Waves newspaper decided to list Prince Clem Ikanade Agba for the award of the Most Outstanding Minister Public Service Award 2023.
● THE AWARD CEREMONY HELD ON AUGUST 10, 2023 AT THE MERIT HOUSE IN ABUJA
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