By Festus Ahon, Asaba
A five-day workshop for members of the Public Accounts Committee of the Delta State House of Assembly has opened in Asaba, with a charge on participants to take advantage of the training to add value and increase their efficiency.
Speaker of the House, Chief Sherrif Oborevwori, while declaring the workshop open, said the training was part of measures of strengthening transparency and accountability in the governance of the State.
Organized by the World Bank, European Union, in collaboration with the Delta State Government through the State Employment and Expenditure for Results, SEEFOR project, the workshop has as its theme “strengthening the capacity of the Public Accounts Committee, to perform oversight functions”.
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Oborevwori said the Public Accounts Committee was one of the highly empowered committees of the Assembly established by sections 85 and 125 of the 1999 constitution as amended to help the Legislature achieve its mandate of ensuring transparency, accountability and good governance.
The Chairman of the House Committee on PublicAccounts, Mr Anthony Elekeokwuri said the workshop was geared towards deepening the knowledge of members on how to improve their oversight functions.
The Lawmaker said the training program would attempt to cure the erroneous believe that Public Accounts Committee was only a post mortem body, saying that the concept of public financial management and control of public funds was also to be discussed.
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Elekeokwuri who represents Ika North East in the House disclosed that a template that will serve as a working tool for the Committee would be produced at the end of the training program.
He pledged the commitment of members towards transparency and accountability in the management of public funds in the state.
The Deputy Chairman of the Committee and Member Representing Uvwie constituency in the House, Chief Solomon Ighrakpata in his remarks said the workshop would further broaden the knowledge of Committee members in carrying out their oversight functions.
Other members of the Committee include Emeka Nwaobi, Peter Uviejitobor, Fred Martins, Felix Anira and Charles Onyinye, while Mr Alex Joe is the Committee Clerk.
