… Lauds Gov. Bello’s transparency, prudent use of resources.
The Kogi State commissioner for Finance, Budget, and Economic Planning Hon. Asiwaju Idris has restated the need for public participation in the budget process, pointing out that it will improve public perception of government policies and programs.
The commissioner stated this during the occasion of the public engagement on the 2023 budget formulation in lokoja.
In his opening remark, the commissioner disclosed that the purpose of the annual citizen’s engagement is to update knowledge of current trends as well as harvest people’s ideas and resolutions that will best address the needs of the people of our state in 2023 budget.
The commissioner said that even though the engagement is being characterized by critiques over the years, interacting with stakeholders has always remained a big source of value addition to the budget process of the state, expressed the determination of the present administration commitment to inclusive budgeting.
While noting that the government cannot independently answer all the development questions, Hon. Idris called on people to get actively involved in government development initiative, pointing out that the present administration is striving to meet the yearning and aspirations of the people.
Attributing the dwarfed productivity capacity to the Covid 19 Pandemic as well as the insecurity that has bedeviled the country over the years, the commissioner said, only programs such as the citizen’s engagement can provide avenues for strategic conversation and will also provide solutions to the problems.
While commending Gov. Yahaya Bello for his strong leadership quality demonstrated by the realization of the 13% derivation on crude oil for the state, the commissioner said the people of the state will remain appreciative of his efforts and therefore solicits the continuous support of his administration, adding that the credit is for the overall interest of the state.
He further explained that the remarkable achievements of the governor have further proven that he remains undaunted and unwavering in his commitment to infrastructural development in the state despite the dwindling resource in the state.
The commissioner however used the medium to disclose that the state has signed to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) which he said is an attestation to the resolution of the present administration to transparency and accountability
In his presentation, the Executive Director, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution,( CHRCH) Mr. Idris Miliki said the importance of budget in effective service delivery in every country cannot be overemphasized.
He noted that budget has been recognized as the most important instrument for the development of every modern state apart from the constitution.
Speaking further, he said budget remains the only instrument to which government can allocate resources to deliver services to the people, especially the poor and the vulnerable.
While commending the present administration for involving its citizens in the budgetary process, he said efforts made by citizens, groups as well as private sector organization has yielded some gains in the budget process not only in the state but also in Nigeria
In his recommendations, Mr. Miliki pointed out that improving and reforming the Public Financial Management ( PFM) System, not just the technical points will lay a solid foundation for societal transformation for the development
He called on the government to be responsive to the advocacy issues that have been raised by citizens especially having a realistic budget, he said the government needs to amend the macroeconomic framework of the budget to be more realistic and also allocate more budgets to sectors that will have a direct impact on the lives of the citizens such as agriculture, health education, and infrastructure.