‘How we’ll transform Kebbi’

Malam Aminu UsmanMallam Aminu Usman, a legal practitioner, is the Special Adviser to the Governor of Kebbi State on Due Process. In this interview with Ag. Group Politics Editor, Idowu Samuel, he explains the desire of the state government to introduce due process as part of the reforms aimed at repositioning the state.

What is the situation of politics in Kebbi State?
The political situation in our state is calm. You know the state has always been peaceful and I can tell you that the government of Alhaji Usman Dakingari is trying its best to maintain the status quo, not minding efforts by the opposition to give a totally different impression about what is going on.

You are the Special Adviser to the Governor on Due Process. What plans did the governor have in mind for appointing an adviser on due process?
The governor wants to enthrone good governance in Kebbi State; that is why he appointed a special adviser on due process in his administration. On my choice as the anchor of the office, the governor is in a better position to say what qualities he was looking for in a person he was going to appoint to advise him on due process. Personally, I know that when I was in the employ of the Attorney General of Kebbi State and in my capacity as the Assistant to the Director, Legal Drafting, I followed closely the evolving rules on public procurement, especially under the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law. The process in Nigeria started with the programmes of the United Nations Commission on Transnational Corporations/UNCTAD, where some of the activities included that of the reform of the public procurement system in Nigeria. Kebbi State, which was formerly under Sokoto State, was actively represented at the fora organised in Nigeria by the United Nations Commission on Transnational Corporations/UNCTAD on public procurement system reform. It is in this regard that I am confident to say I have the requisite insight into due process. It was from there that I acquired the required competence to advise the governor of Kebbi State on the concept.

Then, what have you been able to do since you assumed office as special adviser on due process?
At present, there is a draft bill before the Kebbi State Executive Council to be considered and adopted. The bill is an indication of the collective decision of the government to start something new in Kebbi State, most especially in the area of ensuring transparency, good governance and accountability in the running of government systems. As I said, the governor of Kebbi State wants to enthrone good governance in all parts of the state.

Good governance is becoming a cliché, but governor Dakingari wants to be seen to be upholding its core principles through these steps. In the event of adoption by the Executive Council, the bill will then be submitted to the Kebbi State House of Assembly for enactment into law. It is after these processes are completed and the law is in place that the implementation of due process will commence in earnest.

Is Kebbi State a good environment for experimenting with the concept of due process?
Kebbi State, I think, is more than a ready environment. Let me say that the constituent elements of due process are not unknown in the state. Then, to start the implementation, all that is required is to create a broader awareness on the enhanced rules about the implementation. Secondly, there are programmes and projects run by Kebbi State government that are supported by the World Bank, European Union and the African Development Bank where, in the implementation of the programmes and projects, similar rules on procurement of goods, services and consultations are applied. There is, therefore, ample indication of capacity to implement and apply these rules in Kebbi State.

Of course, the only downside is the capacity of the business community and the wider civil service to engage due process in a proactive and positive manner. I think from the momentum so far and consensus being built by Governor Dakingari, there is goodwill and broad support for enthronement of due process in Kebbi State.

Would you take the attention given to due process by Dakingari as part of the initiative by his government to scale down the level of corruption in the governance of the state?
It is all about reforms. This is a laudable initiative by the Kebbi State government and I am of the view that it is when the implementation gets on full stream that everyone who means well will begin to appreciate the aspirations of the governor. On the issue of reforms, President Yar’Adua has already signed into law, the Public Procurement Act and the Fiscal Responsibility Act as passed by the National Assembly. At different meetings with the state governors, Yar’Adua enjoined all the state governments to partner with the Federal Government on the implementation of the reforms. Yar’Adua indicated that state governments should also consider enacting legislations similar to the Public Procurement Act and the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Consequently, even in Kebbi State, due process has to be situated within a public expenditure management reform. Otherwise, the initiative would not go anywhere. There was a debate on the Fiscal Responsibility Act, while it was a bill, when Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala started soliciting opinions on the proposal, during her visit to the late Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido. My opinion then was that we would require taking fiscal responsibility down to the local governments. This is the thrust of President Yar’Adua’s actions. This is why there is a need to engage the due process regime as an element of a public expenditure management process and not as a stand-alone programme. Indeed, Dakingari is conscious of the development aspirations of the entire people of Kebbi State and he sees the idea of putting in place a due process and fiscal responsibility regimes as sine qua non for the attainment of these aspirations.