“Citizen Participation Enriches Gombe Budgeting”
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Gombe State Governor Muhammad Yahaya said the participation of the people was helping to enrich the state budget to meet the demands of the people.
Yahaya said this yesterday in Gombe, where he openly declared public participation in the preparation of the state’s 2024 budget. The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Ibrahim Jodi, said his long-standing practice of consulting grassroots people’s representatives before preparing the state budget has ensured people’s participation in governance. He said he came.
He said that through this initiative, the administration was able to correct mistakes and improve service delivery through feedback received from the public.
He said the consistent public participation in the budget process since 2020 demonstrates the administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
“It is on record that when we began this process in 2020, we took the bold step of incorporating your recommendations into the 2021 budget. This will enrich our documentation and improve budget execution. I’m happy to announce that I was able to work even harder.
“Since the beginning of our administration, the implementation of the budget has been very encouraging and challenging, especially on the capital side of the budget.
“This has enabled us to become one of the best companies and win an award in Nigeria’s National Financial Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme,” he said.
The Governor called on the participants to pay due attention to the issues that will be raised, participate freely and contribute meaningfully to the development of the state.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abubakar Rugerewo, assured stakeholders who attended the meeting that their views and suggestions would be reflected in the 2024 budget.
“We will do everything in our power to ensure that your views, suggestions and recommendations are reflected in the 2024 budget,” Mr Lujerewo said.
Oluwatosin Oke, Public Finance Management Specialist at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s State2State operation in Gombe, commended the state government for its efforts in involving the people of the state in budget preparation. Oke said USAID, through State2State, is supporting state governments in public financial management reforms starting in 2021.
“I commend the state government for responding to the cries of stakeholders by approving the 2024-2026 Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) on Wednesday and holding public budget consultations with residents,” he said. Ta.
“This also demonstrates the nation’s commitment to upholding SFTAS reforms related to public budget engagement. We look forward to seeing more of the public’s wishes reflected in the 2024 budget proposal.”
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Source: guardian.ng