Consequent upon the successful Peer-Review of Nigeria in October, 2008, a National Programme of Action (NPoA), which is a major deliverable of the APRM, was developed. The final version of the NPoA was endorsed for implementation by the National Council of States in November, 2008.
As it were, the Peer Review Report, published in June, 2009, commended the Nigerian Government on efforts so far made at repositioning the country towards reaping the benefits of the prevailing dispersal of global economic powers. However, the report also identified areas in the polity that demanded critical and immediate intervention, either in terms of time or scope or both. These areas which would eventually constitute the Key Result Areas (KRAs) of the NPoA include:
- Paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty;
- Corruption;
- Over-dependence on oil; and
- Weak infrastructure.
This verdict on the country’s overall performance expectedly provoked a number of government actions, all aimed at ensuring a complete departure from the bleak scenario. One of these was the approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), for the establishment of the National Intergovernmental Committee on the Implementation of the NPoA and the National Council APRM. These bodies are to provide policy direction and develop actionable agenda that would:
- Facilitate the mainstreaming of the NPoA into national priorities; and
- Ensure adequate provision for it in the national budget.
The major challenge before all Nigerians now, is to therefore, provide complementary roles, build the requisite support-base that would engender an aggressive domestication process and eventual implementation of the NPoA framework at the Federal, State and Local Government levels. This is no doubt an arduous assignment that is sure to task our collective and individual talents, time and treasure.