Imo executive council retreat ends today

It was serene. The environment very refreshing and nourishing to the mind.
It was basically a leadership enhancement training towards continued and tightened coherence, and appraisal of the structures of the state to deliver on the vision of His Excellency, Governor Emeka Ihedioha.
The retreat so far has captured a broad spectrum, which includes, looking at regulatory reforms, improvement of the business environment, identifying the needs of the people etc.
Not forgetting also the issues of security for Imo communities, public procurement policies, Sanitation, Code of Conduct for public officers, roles and responsibilities of government appointees, issues of human capital development using education as a gateway especially the application of Technical and Vocational Education Training to engage youths and provide skills.
As a government anchored on the rule of law and due process, the Retreat equally looked on the essentials of compliance with due process and the need for religious implementation of the State procurement laws.
The need for accountability was not lost especially using the twin elements of project monitoring and evaluation as tools to achieve accountability. Development and provision of standard bidding documents for contracting and procurements, and transparent pre-qualification processess.
For His Excellency the Governor, the central theme of the brainstorming is meant to achieve open, fair, efficient, value for money and transparent public procurement of goods, works, and services as carried out by the Imo State government.
The code of conduct, and ethics of public officers, in this case, the appointees was looked at as a trust, which requires giving account of your service, and removal of conflict of interest, which includes financial interest, undue preference for personal reasons, using official time for private business, participation or engagement in the management of any personal business, prohibition and running of a current account, and issues of assets declaration upon assumption and departure from service.
Not left out are those factors that will boast economic and development planning for Imo State, such as how to track and measure performance at the state and local government levels.
Addressing societal problems received consideration, on how to protect the poor, the weak, and the vulnerable.
There was also a situation analysis of where the government is, and a goals definition of where the government want to go. In looking at these valiables, the need for evaluations, periodic assessments of the plans, programs and projects of the government was highlighted in terms of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability, including the short, medium and long term effects of government programs.
Not left out, is the Ease of Doing Business in Imo State. Issues raised in include best practices in regulatory governance, identifying the risks associated with any government regulation, identifying the stakeholders likely to be affected by the regulation, how will the regulation affect the stakeholder or the community and if the regulation will increase the cost of doing business, what is the cost benefit of the regulation for example, the money, time and personnel required for implementation of the regulation.
Other issues include effective communication of the regulation, what is the benefit of the regulation to the people and stakeholders, and finally the enforcement of regulations, giving it a human face, avoiding the use of crude enforcement methods, like the use of touts and undue force, exploring alternative dispute resolution, and the cost and quality of the judicial process. All these go a long way in improving business environment for prosperity.
In all, according to Governor Ihedioha, there are no wrong views, everyone has a right to be heard. He said, “” The only wrong view, is a view not expressed”
The Retreat will end tomorrow Friday the 25th of October 2019.
~Prince Eze Ugochukwu is the Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment to the Imo State Governor.