Munira Abdullahi

The Nasarawa State government begins preparation of the 2025 budget with consultation of the people

NKRUMAH BANKONG-OBI/Keffi

The Youth Center in Keffi came alive on Tuesday as the Nasarawa State government signalled the commencement of the 2025 budget preparation with an engagement session with the people. The programme in Keffi drew participants from five LGAs including; Keffi, Nasarawa, Toto, Karu and Kokona. Among the those in attendance were representatives of faith-based organisations, market women, civil societies, People Living With Special Needs and the media.

In her speech, Hajia Munira Abdullahi, the Commissioner for Finance and Budget Planning said the decentralisation of the budget preparation process aims at encouraging participation of the people, so as to enhance accountability. “This initiative stems from our commitment to connect her people with the current economic and political development in Nigeria and around the globe. You may recall that for sometime now the State through the World Bank our partners through the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability programme and now the State action on ease of business environment has urged states to adhere to a uniform protocol using various indicators, one of which is the transparency of the budgeting process,” which aims at solidifying the budgeting process of governments.
To achieve the objective, she noted that forum seeks to at aggregating directly from the people, the issues that concern them and the needs they want to see captured in the budget for the 2025 fiscal year “This townhall meeting is organised to ensure that the 2025 budget reflects the input and contributions from you the citizens. Today’s gathering includes representatives of various interest groups including civil society organisations, community-based organisations, faith-based organisations, the media, youth associations, market women, farmers’ union as well as associations and unions from both the formal and informal sectors.
On improvement on previous editions of the programme, she noted that the team’s overriding objective in Keffi, is to “ensure that the voices of the people are heard and contribute to government policies and programmes.” She said participant were selected to reflect those whose opinion will enhance government’s overall objective of accountability and transparency. The Commissioner noted that the citizen or participatory budgeting process provides a template for the government, based on decisions made by the people, how figures should be allocated in the budget, hence providing the citizens an opportunity to having a say on how government resources are used.
Hajia Abdullahi used the forum to announce that the State government is on the verge of reviewing the 2024 budget to accommodate more projects that the administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule has identified for execution. She said much is being achieved and the governor is doing a lot more across all sectors of the economy and is poised to do more.
Earlier, the director of Budget, Ataka Akolo Peters explained the forum seeks to among other things, bring non-state actors together to plan in partnership with the government. He also said the process is build to enhance inclusivity by “stimulating accessibility and transparency in governance; share ideas and experience among the citizens as well as involve the people directly in the decision-making process of government, hence insulate all barriers that can mar people’s participation in governance especially the budgeting system.
Goodwill messages were given by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor on Budget, Tanko Maiyaki who reminded the citizens that their participation will result in improvement in the collation of budgetary data, presentation and implementation of the budget.
Participants from at the events itemised the needs of the communities and requested for due accommodation in projects for implementation. Abdullahi Sani from Keffi, called attention to the need for a bridge, repair of the High Court and the secondary school in Angwan Fulani, Angwan Kare, and other communities in Keffi. From Toto came a call for the construction of feeder roads that can link the LGA to Koton Karfe in Kogi State. He also appealed that a higher institution be sited in the area to promote the educational objectives of the government and the citizens in Toto.
Another participant suggested that a hotel be constructed in Karu to leverage on the huge population and proximity to the Federal Capital Territory. He also called for the careful implementation of the tax law, ensuring that people who reside in Karu but work in Abuja can remit their taxes to Nasarawa State government where they utilize social amenities. A participant representing People Living With disabilities, Idris Sani, requested for a school for people with special needs as well as a skill acquisition centre which he said, could solve the menace of street begging in the western part of the State.
Abuabakar Salisu Oloko from the civil society network called for greater accountability and sought to know how government is implementing the millennium development goals, MDGs, relating to sanitation and education. He said if taken care of by way of providing clean water supply, “the problem of diseases like cholera and diarrhoea that contribute to public challenges can be solved.”
Mohammed Idris identified the revamping of the deplorable cattle market in Keffi and provision of transport infrastructure as the needs he desires to see included in the 2025 budget. Another participant listed the provision of access roads to ease the evacuation of farm produce to the urban centres as a priority for his people. He specifically mentioned that the road from Mararaba to Aso junction and to Panda, another from Panda to Gitata should be opened up. He also requested that primary healthcare centres be fixed and the existing Medical Centre and general Hospital in Karu be upgraded to cater to the health needs of Mararaba’s dense population.
the Commissioner responded that note has been taken of their inputss and that funding, needs assessment and other factors will determine the inclusion of the projects in next year’s budget proposal.

Pix: Munira Abdullahi