The Bauchi State government has begun a three-day retreat for all the state commissioners, permanent secretaries, special advisers, and local government caretaker committee chairmen, among others.

Speaking during the kickoff of the retreat, Gov. Bala Mohammed said that the purpose of the retreat was to renew the ownership of his ‘My Bauchi Project’ document.

According to him, it was also aimed at enhancing the participants’ performance in running the affairs of the government to achieve the ‘Bauchi Project’ vision of his administration.

He explained that his administration’s objective is to foster a collaborative spirit to dissect its challenges openly and to creatively brainstorm sustainable solutions to cultivate fertile ground for unprecedented growth and development.

“Today, as we gather here for this essential retreat, facilitated by a distinguished team of experts under the astute leadership of Prof. Usman Bugaje, our objective is clear.

“Let me kindly note that my Bauchi Project document, our blueprint to action, has been updated to reflect current economic realities, especially arising out of the review of our performances over the last four years.

“The revised document provides the road map for defining a prosperous economic trajectory for citizens, providing social services, and building the required infrastructure that will guarantee sustainable economic growth and development.

“Unlike the previous version, which had its focus on greater perceptions and high expectations resulting from the failures of the past administration, the revised version is an assessment of the extent to which those expectations have been met or otherwise,” he said.

Mr Mohammed reiterated the goal of setting a standard for service delivery, where heads of ministries, departments, and agencies are expected to be guided by key performance evaluations in line with global best practices.

He assured that his administration would build on the accomplishments of the last four years for sustainable growth and development, adding that this effort would align the participants with the administration’s vision and mission.

In his address, Mr Bugaje, chairman of the occasion, stressed the importance of teamwork, technological-driven initiatives, and commitments to duty as major requirements for a successful administration.

He urged the participants to make the best use of the opportunity to assist the governor in delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.

Other participants at the retreat included civil society organisations, heads of security agencies, and traditional and religious leaders.

(NAN)