Governor Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina State has inaugurated three committees to chart  a road map for  implementation of single Treasury account (TSA), State and Local Government Pension and Gratuity Reforms as well as to versify sensitive and strategic forest areas given out as farm lands without due process across the state.
 The three committees have Alhaji Khalil Bako as Chairman Forest Committee, Mohammed Aminu Isiyaku, Chairman Committee on TSA and Dr Faruq Aminu who Chairs the Committee of Pension.     The three committees have four weeks to submit their reports to the Government.  The Single Treasury account  committee is  composed of State Auditor general and that of local government, Permanent Secretary (PS) Budget and Economic Planning and that of  Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and the State’s Accountant General as members.   Others include, the Technical Assistant to the Governor on Treasury, representative from the board of internal revenue, Alhaji Shuaibu Aliyu and Dr. Salisu Procedure.     The terms of reference of the TSA committee includes,  reviewing existing government accounting procedure and evaluate level of compliance with public financial reforms,TSA, IPSAS to develope frame work for successful implementation of TSA scheme in the state and to design suitable TSA model, it’s operational requirements and  opening the account and it’s maintenance procedure     Lastly, to advise government about the desirable or otherwise of the implementation of TSA in the local governments of the state. Members of the Pension reforms committee includes:- Permanent Secretary Department of Establishment, Pensions and Training, Auditor General for local government, Representative of the local government staff Pension Board, State  Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)and the Director Finance Ministry for local government and chieftaincy affairs.  Others are :- Alkali Hamza Iliyasu, Comrade Tanimu Lawal Saulawa, Sada Abubakar, Zailani Isiyaku and Alhaji  Mukhtar Ammani who would serve as secretary of the Committee. The Pension Committee has the mandate of  verifying actual existing number of pensioneers under both the state and the 34 local governments by screening and data capturing, and verify the actual gratuity payable to  retirees at both the state and local Governments. The Committee would expected to verify the actual amount paid every month as pension at both state and the 34 local governments and advise the state government on the implications of contributory pension scheme already passed into law by the immediate past administration.  Similarly, the committee of forest, has the following members:-representatives each from the State Ministry of Agriculture, Justice, KTARDA, State House of Assembly, ALGON, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breaders Association and that of Kautal hore, with its  Secretary from the Governor’s office. The committee has the responsibilities of reviewing  the communique issued at the end of last stakeholders meeting held on the August 15, 2017 and other minutes  of the  meeting regarding the committee set up on February 20th, 2020 which scrutinized the application letters of request of piece of land. The committee owed it a duty to identify sensetive and strategic forest given out as farm lands and any implication on such as well as review previous  allocation of lands and determine wether due process were  complied with in allocation of the lands or not.   Speaking while inaugurating the three Committees, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda urged the Members to be honest so that they can come up with a report that if implemented would help the state government on its aims to put the state in a better perspective.  The Governor wished members of the three committees Allah’s guidance in the discharge of the assigned responsibilities.  Three Chairmen of the Committees, Alhaji Khalil Bako, Dr Faruq Aminu and Alhaji Mohammed Aminu appreciated Governor Umaru Radda for giving them the mandate to serve the state and promised to live up to expectation.    

Culled from New Nigerian Newspapers