October 03, (THEWILL) – Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has approved the appointment of Mr. John Aondoaseer Akuse as the Director General of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, announced the appointment in a statement on Wednesday.
Akuse holds a Master of Business Administration degree with a specialisation in Economics from Trinity College, Seychelles, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
He is computer literate, with skills in Word, Advanced Excel, Internet research, Statistical Packages for Social Sciences, PowerPoint, and QuickBooks. He has experience working in three professional areas, including Teaching, Warehousing/Stores Management, and Social and Humanitarian Affairs, including Disaster Management.
His competencies include Development Programming, with a specialisation in Water and Sanitation Sector Reform Programming (including WASH in emergency contexts), Health Sector policy development (especially HIV/AIDS), Project Management, Gender and Human Rights, inclusion of Women and Youth in development, support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), Democracy and People’s Participation, Emergency Preparedness and Response, and Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding.
The statement said Akuse has taught courses on Team Building, Leading Change in Complexities, Emotional Intelligence, and Work Planning at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Consult, Kuru.
“Currently, he serves as the Head of Programmes at the Bureau for International Cooperation, Government House, Makurdi, from November 2003 to the present,” it said.
The statement added that Akuse has worked as a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning Specialist for the Partnership to Engage, Reform, and Learn (PERL) and as a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the Learning, Evidence & Advocacy Partnership (LEAP) Pillar from October 2017 to June 2018.
“He was the Project Manager for the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme (WSSSRP), a European Union-funded programme with the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Abuja (February 2013 – June 2017).
“Additionally, he served as the Programme Manager for the North East Zone at the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), a Global Fund-supported project,” it added.
Governor Alia, while congratulating Akuse, urged him to leverage his wealth of experience in his new role and charged him to uphold the ideals of the administration as encapsulated in its vision and mission, emphasising that he should prioritise the state in all his official engagements.
Meanwhile, the Governor has declared Friday, October 4, 2024, as a work-free day to give the people of Benue State ample opportunity to travel to their respective local government areas in preparation for the forthcoming local government elections scheduled for Saturday, October 5, 2024.
Governor Alia emphasised the importance of active participation in the electoral process and encouraged all citizens to take advantage of the work-free day to exercise their civic duty.
Sir Tersoo Kula, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, in a statement, quoted Alia as expressing confidence that with the right commitment and participation, the elections will be conducted smoothly and fairly.
The Governor further urged all public and private sector organisations to support the initiative by allowing their employees to utilise this day for travel and preparation.
He also charged the citizens to prioritise peaceful conduct and collaboration during the elections, reinforcing the need for unity and cooperation among all parties involved.
