MGM: Evaluating Gov Inuwa’s Magic At Finance Ministry

By: Alhaji Mansur Aramide

It’s a common fact that political appointments are often premised on two considerations – political and technocratic.

For the former, it is determined by powerful forces in the party to take good care of individuals who played significant positive roles during electoral process that birthed the administration. Aptly put, “job for the boys.”

Technocratic consideration is to secure round pegs for the round holes. Right men for the jobs!

Heads of government who know their onions and mean well for their administrations would give serious consideration for the technocrats; that is if genuinely in love with their states/domains.

This stated reason must have prompted the appointment of Mallam Muhammad Gambo Magaji (MGM) as the commissioner for finance in Gombe State.

In 2019 at the inauguration of Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s government, among his cabinet was an unassuming gentle technocrat, MGM.

To MGM, it was an unfamiliar terrain having emerged from banking world.The ability to learn and adjust to situation may have earned this captain his descriptions by the Perm Sec of the ministry, Alhaji Jalo Ibrahim Ali of MGM thus: “he is a gentleman and a good learner.

“As a banker and an economist, no doubt he is good for the job, his level headedness has never been faulted,” he stressed.

Certainly, the achievements recorded so far in two years of his appointment bear the facts that he was without any political push, picked to not only salvage the state’s ministry of finance and economic development’s dwindling financial and economic situation but to lay the ministry on the right track against the existing common perilous box.

According to Jalo, MGM is a level headed man who was never tempted by the youthful exuberance showed the whole world that “what an elder could do; youths could do better,” Jalo added.

Under the watch of this youth ambassador, the ministry was able to inaugurate several civil service consultation projects that had cost the government over N31.2m. The project imparted knowledge on civil servants.

In 2021, through the ministry, the state spent N3m on imparting knowledge on the civil servants through consultancy engagement.

A serious landmark was recorded by the state when the ministry of finance and economic development upgraded the Debt Management Office (DMO) to a full agency with its Director-General. It’s now Debt Management Agency (DMA.)

According to MGM: “when we came to office, it was just an office without substantive head but the Debt Management Agency (DMA) law was passed this year.

“This is an effort towards reform to ensure that debt management agency will be able to have information about the state’s debt portfolio and then manage it effectively and efficiently too,” he hinted.

Also, the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme gulped N6.5bn during the 2018/2019 exercises.

The essence was to improve financial reporting and budget reliability, increased openness and citizens’ engagement in the budget process.

It also improved cash management and reduced revenue leakages through implementation of state Treasury Single Account (TSA), strengthened Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) collection.

For the 2019/2020 exercise, N2.4bn was expended on biometric registration and Bank Verification Number (BVN) to reduce payroll fraud, improved procurement practices for increased transparency and value for money.

It also strengthened public debt management and fiscal responsibility framework, improved clearance/reduction of stock of domestic expenditure arrears and improved debt sustainability.

Again, the ministry has been able to ensure the successful implementation of continuous monitoring of the TSA: “to ensure accountability and transparency,” MGM told our reporter.

The strong collaboration between the ministry and the Budget, Planning and Development Partner Office (BPDPCO) ensured the production of a draft 10-year development plan for the state.

The ministry often coordinate the SFTAS programme known to have earned that state $14.5million this year.

MGM”s leadership coordinated PAYE Refund of the state’s N5.03bn of which about 75 per cent was initially paid: “this helped the state to record the highest annual IGR ever,” MGM said.

However, MGM told our reporter that the state had fully paid all the PAYE debts.

That the ministry and the pension office to submit a demand for the federal share of Pension Refund which earned the state N360m of which N216m had been released to it was not by chance, it was because it was led by this financial genius. No wonder the 2021 budget was ascented to by the lawmakers even before the end of the 2020 fiscal year.

No wonder the perm sec told our reporter: “I am surprised that without any civil service background he could learn the ropes this fast. He acts fast; he adjusts well enough and quickly too. He is okay!”

As it stands, the state through the finance ministry is said to have achieved 73 per cent Biometric Data capture and 93 per cent BVN linkage.

This exercise not only save the state several millions of naira running to half a billion monthly, it has also weeded almost 2,000 ghost workers in the state.

By implications, it has opened employment opportunities for unengaged citizenry.

The ministry led by MGM has formulated e-files and successfully linked it to the payroll. All this credited to the restless commissioner surrounded by able lieutenants daring the weather to achieve elusive success.

With a strong background in economics and over a decade of top-level work experience at PowerPoint Consulting Firm Limited, Access Bank Plc, Intercontinental Bank and City Express Bank, among others, MGM has acquired the managerial and experiential wherewithal to re-engineer the economy of Gombe to enhance the livelihood and livability conditions of the citizenry.

MGM has piloted the ministry to the extent that the 2020 state revenue shot upwards by over 20% was described as the highest ever recorded in Gombe.

Just last year, the state lawmakers passed Gombe Revenue Law which has repositioned the state’s revenue standard.

MGM however heaped all these achievements by the ministry on his boss whom he described as a financial guru of rare dexterity.

He said: “the governor was a former finance commissioner, he knows the office much more than I do.

“With his knowledge of the office and of course being an accountant too, he has given us all the support and freehand to operate.

“He guides us anytime called upon to be able to perform credibly.

“That has helped us in our reform agenda for the state,” he explained.

As a grassroots man who lived within his people and understands how the economic development programs and plans of the previous governments failed them, MGM has the opportunity to work with Gov. Yahaya to develop Gombe’s economic and development vision that will make a qualitative difference.

Alhaji Mansur Aramide, is a seasoned journalist based in Gombe.