On Wednesday, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd. ), launched the National Monitoring and Evaluation platform, EYEMARK.
Buhari introduced the project monitoring website (www.eyemark.ng) and accompanying mobile app just before the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa’s council chambers in Abuja.
The President stated that the federal government could no longer rely on a small number of Monitoring and Evaluation teams to oversee the vast majority of infrastructure projects dispersed across the country.
He stated that considering that his regime has invested more in infrastructure projects than any previous, it is only natural that proper outlets for citizen scrutiny be established.
He claims that this will close current gaps and encourage citizen participation in governance.
Buhari also blamed the recent wave of corruption on the country’s infrastructure projects’ poor execution.
“The status of projects, total money appropriated and dispensed so far are now visible in the public sphere,” the president said of EYEMARK.
He urged Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to work with the coordinating ministry, the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, to provide the information needed to populate the platform.
Clem Agba, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, stated earlier in his talk that EYEMARK would enable individuals and Civil Society Organizations to monitor capital projects in real-time to enhance accountability.
According to Agba, the platform makes use of a wide network of citizens who can monitor initiatives in their communities.
However, he cautioned that relying on the general people carries the risk of disinformation.
As a result, EYEMARK has been outfitted with spatial technology to follow images and determine their origin.
“If a user is in Kaduna, we can verify the legitimacy of the reviews. “We can also tell if the photograph was posted from the area that the user said it was sent from,” he added.
Agba also claimed that the website and app were created by Nigerians with an average age of 24, with feedback from stakeholders and industry experts.
Before the meeting, the council observed a minute of silence in memory of a late member, Demola Seriki, former Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources under Umaru Yar’Adua.
Seriki, 63, was Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain before his death on December 15.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and Federation Head of Civil Service, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan were also there.
Ministers of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Dr Zainab Ahmed; Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; Aviation, Hadi Sirika; Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare; Science and Technology, Olorunimbe Mamora; and Police Affairs, Maigari Dingiyadi are also in attendance.
Others include Clem Agba, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning; Sharon Ikeazor, Minister of Environment; and Timipre Sylva, Minister of Petroleum Resources.
Education, Adamu Adamu; Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; Defence, Bashir Magashi; Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite; and his state counterpart Sen. Gbemisola Saraki; Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, Social Development, Sadiya Farouq; Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; and Industry, Trade and Investment (State), Maryam Katagum are also present virtually.
