Kogi state government has been tasked to open up its budgeting process through active engagement of citizens and groups.
This was made known by stakeholders during the second annual budget summit by the Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) in Lokoja on Monday.
The stakeholders insisted that the Kogi State House of Assembly must open up 2020 budgetary process by organising a public hearing that will enable citizens make necessary inputs.
In a communiqué signed by the Executive Director of CHRCR, Idris Miliki Abdul, the stakeholders noted that previous budgeting processes was shrouded in secrecy with little or no input from citizens before, during and after its presentation and implementation.
“The budget is the most critical tool, outside the 1999 constitution, for providing development for the citizen. This document provides the direction and thinking of the government of the day towards the needs and wants of the citizens. This becomes critical for the state taking as there would be a new government come January 27th 2020 with the conclusion of the November 16th 2019 governorship elections.
“The 2020 budget estimate is highly anticipated as it would show the direction and thinking of the newly elected government in Kogi State. The previous budgeting process has been clouded in secrecy with little or no citizen inputs before during and after budget preparation and implementation.
“Kogi State House of Assembly has not performed its constitutional duties of providing the citizen the opportunity of making inputs into the budgeting process through conduct of public hearing on budget proposals. The Executive, through its budget development organ, has failed to provide details of previous budget proposals as applicable at the Federal government level, through engagement of the media, civil society and other stakeholders after the reading of the budget by the Governor.
“There is the urgent need for the Ministry of Budget and Planning and the Ministry of Finance to always provide detailed breakdown of budget estimates to the public to guide discussions during the budget passage/implementation process. Development issues such as health, agriculture, education, housing, transportation and industrialization must be priorities in the 2020 Budget estimates as a new government takes off in January 2020,” the communiqué read.
CHRCR called on the journalists to improve on their engagement of the budget process by doing more investigative journalism on issues around the budget and its implementation processes which must include cash backing.
The 2nd annual budget summit by the Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) in partnership with the Shehu Musa Yar’dua Foundation, with support from McArthur Foundation, is the second in the series of engagement with all relevant stakeholders on Kogi State budget process.
The summit brings together the Media, Civil Society Organizations, Legislators and the Clerks of their Committees and the executive through the Ministries Departments and Agencies responsible for budget development.
