States' debt data base reconstruction to end by 2012

Reconstruction of the domestic debt data base of the 36 states of the federation will be completed before the end of 2012, Director- General, Debt Management Office, Dr Abraham Nwankwo, has said. Nwankwo made this known on Monday in Abuja while addressing newsmen at a workshop on application of Microsoft Excel for effective sub-national debt management for state debt officers. ``We have reconstructed the debts of 24 states; because we are reconstructing the domestic debts of all the 36 states, but so far we have done it for 24 states. And we are going ahead to do it for the rest of the states, but by the end of next year, we would have completed for all the 36 states of the federation," he said. Nwankwo said that the reconstruction was imperative to enable the states to have an authentic data base like what was obtainable at the federal level. He said, "Over the last three years, DMO took that responsibility of working with the states, spending two weeks at a time and repeating that process.To work with them, assemble their files, collect the data, verify and authenticate, so that we can reconstruct their domestic debt data base. "So that when we talk about the total federal public debt, we are talking about authentic, verified and reliable domestic debt data for each of the states." Commenting on the workshop, he said that all the states would be involved and it would hold in three batches for three weeks. He said that 12 states were currently participating in the first batch of the training, adding that the essence of the programme was to reinforce the skills of the state officers in the use of Excel for recording and analysing public debt.The Director, Strategic Programmes Department, DMO, Mrs. Funmi Ilamah, said the workshop would empower officers in the use of key elements of Microsoft Excel as a tool for debt recording and reporting.She said, "You cant have complete sustainable debt position as a nation if in a federal system the states do not have that strong competences and capability as well. And thats why we are focusing on ensuring that the debt management departments in the 36 states of the federation have the relevant competences and capabilities to collect and collate and categorise their own debts; put it in electronic formats, using Excel."
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