Skip to main content

Kaduna CSOs move to track 2020 Budget implementation






An elaborate template for budget tracking and monitoring of the 2020 budget - with special emphasis on procurement status, level of compliance, budget source documents and payments - have been put in place to identify bureaucratic bottlenecks, militating against optimum budget implementation in Kaduna state.


This renewed impetus of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), was a fallout of a 2-day partners budget reflection meeting for all stakeholders working around budget in the state - put together by Partnership to Engage Reform and Learn in collaboration with UK aid - touched on trend analysis of budget in key service delivery sectors of Health, Education and Infrastructure, between 2016 and 2020 as well as a comprehensive review of citizens' engagements around 2020 budget development process with a view of making 2021 more effective and result oriented.

Dr Elisha Auta Menson, who is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics of the Kaduna State University (KASU), in an interview with Cubinks commended the organizers, stressing the need for citizens to benefit from effective implementation of the state's 2020 budget.

"Budget is a vital instrument of governance. When it comes to issues of service delivery, particularly in the social sectors that members of the society benefit from, government must carry all stakeholders along. While Kaduna state has made tremendous progress in terms of opening up the budget process, there are still some issues that need to be addressed. First, we need more information around the budget such as the projects that are being executed, because we need to understand the time that monies are released", Menson remarked, regretting that as civil society, "while we are trying to monitor and evaluate progress, we've had some challenges because sometimes, even when monies are released by the government, bottlenecks don't really allow for quick interventions in terms of money getting directly to those carrying out the projects".

He decried a situation where the civil society are denied the right information when trying to track projects appropriately, thereby adversely affecting effective evaluation and assessment of projects. While explaining that budget has four critical steps of formulation, implementation, oversight and auditing, Menson remarked that "it is expected that the spirit of co-creation takes the center stage, which implies that at each stage or budget phase; the civil society on one side and government on the other, need to work together so that technical issues are adequately addressed to make it easier to assess performance".

On his part, Mr Yusuf Goje of the Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED), expressed delight about the meeting, maintaining that it was a good platform for all stakeholders working around the state's Budget 2020 and 2021 to give the citizens an insight as to whether or not government is actualizing its mandatory role of providing for the people.

PERL's State Team Leader, Mr Abel Adejor, expressed satisfaction with the turnout of participants and their selfless determination in working tirelessly around the budget process of the state, and thanked them for their unwavering sacrifice.

The 2-day partners' budget reflection meeting attracted participants from the state's
Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Coalition cautions against Nigeria's Disunity

  N etwork for Better Nigeria, a coalition of concerned Civil Society Organizations in the 19 Northern States has responded to  the growing tension threatening national unity and socio-economic development of the country and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently collaborate with the governors in the 19 northern states and critical stakeholders to arrest the lingering insecurity in Nigeria. In a joint statement signed by Mallam Isiaku Abdulhameed, the coalition in collaboration with Arewa Youth Consultative Youth Movement, Arewa Youth Assembly and Chanchanta stated inter Alia:  "the Federal Government should urgently collaborate with the Northern State Governors and come up with a modernistic livestock development policy which will not only provide solutions to the herders/farmers crises but transform the age long traditional open grazing towards providing additional economic value for pastoral communities. Equally, we wish to express our support on the position...

Environmentalists re-strategize on governance

A cross-section of environmental strategists at the event Lack of good and well-intentioned environmental governance and social audit for effective monitoring and evaluation of data and procurement have been identified as the major impediment against the climate change campaign in Kaduna state. A leading member of Network of Civil Societies in Environment, Gloria Kasang Bulus, who made this known during a one-day capacity building platform for critical stakeholders working around environment - strengthening the technical working groups; to develop or use tools required for effective engagement with government, urged participants to volunteer wholeheartedly in the task ahead - to mitigate climate change. Bulus who is also the Director, Bridge that Gap Initiative and convener of the network noted that, "Unless and until we are able to partner the government in ensuring outcomes in tandem with the people oriented policies, plans, appropriations; we will be doing next...

Open Budget: Kaduna seeks citizens' input in 2020 Budget

F ollowing sustained campaign by concerned citizens and critical stakeholders in Kaduna state to open up the budget cycle, the Governor el-Rufa'i-led administration, during the week, engaged the representatives of the academia, community-based organizations, the civil society, women groups and individuals on state's 2020 to 2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework(MTEF) to make next year's budget budget realistic and realizable. The event tagged 'Citizens Consultations on 2020-2022 MTEF' which was put together by the state's Planning and Budget Commission with the support of DFID-funded Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), took a critical look at strategies to forge a people-centered budget with emphasis on transparency, openness and accountability. Co-chair of the Open Government Partnership(OGP) in the state, Alhaji Mustapha Jumare told participants that as a sub national, Kaduna state was indeed a trail brazer in nation's quest ...

Environmentalists intensify action against global warming!

A cross section of the Network of Civil Society in Environment being welcome by the commissioner (Centre) I n a bid to cushion the increasing adverse effects of global warming on the environment, non-state actors under the aegis of Network of Civil Society in Environment (NCSE), during the week in Kaduna, sought for a robust partnership with the state's Environment and Natural Resources Ministry to address numerous environmental challenges facing the state. Receiving the group who were on an advocacy visit to the Ministry, the Honourable Commissioner of Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Ibrahim Garba Hussain expressed delight over the renewed move to mitigate environmental degradation and pledged his support for the initiative. "Climate change is all as result of the activity and action of man. It might interest you to know that the Ministry has put together a comprehensive policy document on environment. That is why I am very pleased to welcome you peo...

SEMA engages Zaria communities on disaster risk reduction strategies

  Executive Secretary, Abubakar Hassan (center) and his team at Zaria By EDDY OCHIGBO V ulnerable communities and wards in and around Zaria and its environs have been sensitized and strengthened to tackle possible disasters, ranging from gully erosion, insecurity, fire and rape vis-a-vis the ongoing environmental hazards awareness campaign across Kaduna state. Keen watchers believe that the move - which is aimed at system strengthening on emergency coordination and response strategy - in collaboration with the United State Agency for International Development's Nigeria Early Recovery Initiative (NERI) would drastically reduce peoples' vulnerability and possible disasters in the state. "To prevent disasters, we must get the people equipped and prepared to understand what constitutes hazards, risks etc., as well as what they should do to identify early warning signs and signals. The exercise is taking place in all the wards and communities in Tudun Wada, Sabon Gari, Zaria Ci...