Open Government: Expert cautions Kaduna on Open Budget

A summary of the state government's commitment to open budget

By DANGWA DANJUMA

The Kaduna State Fiscal Responsibility Law (2016), should be reviewed to guarantee citizens participation in the budget process.

Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development's (CALPED) Head of Leadership, Governance and Advocacy, Yusuf Ishaku Goje who dropped the hint, maintained that "an amendment bill of the Fiscal Responsibility Law (FRL, 2016) should also be sent to the House of Assembly to capture the CDCs as an integral part of budget process". This, he said would surely, "boost citizen’s confidence in the State government and ensure we deliver on the OGP key performance indicators on open budget."

During this year’s budget formulation, CDCs generated from some of the local government areas were submitted to the Planning & Budget Commission, but no evidence to show that a single one was captured in the 2020 approved budget.

Granted that the state has achieved two key milestones in its OGP action-plan - the establishment of office for processing of community charter in the Planning & Budget Commission, and development of a framework for citizens to effectively prioritize their needs; the desired result is yet to be achieved. This is so because the state is yet to meet some of the key action-plan’s performance indicators. They are - the number of community projects from the charters that informs the budget; and a bill on Community Development Charter (CDC) drafted and tabled before the House of Assembly."

Goje revealed: "During this year’s budget formulation, CDCs generated from some of the local government areas were submitted to the Planning & Budget Commission, but no evidence to show that a single one was captured in the 2020 approved budget. It is more worrisome as it seems we are about to miss our final opportunity to deliver on the key performance indicators, as the State Action Plan (2018-2020) cycle will end this year."

many of the heads of the Ministries Department and Agencies have limited understanding of the Open Government Partnership and the commitments in the State action-plan

He applauded the Kaduna State Government under Governor Ahmed Nasir el-Rufai for initiating reforms objectively designed to improve public financial management and public service delivery. He also appreciated the Open Government Partnership and other mechanisms developed through the State Fiscal Transparency and Sustainability instrument of the World Bank that have brought about laws such as the Fiscal Responsibility Law, Public Procurement Law, Tax Codification and Consolidation Law, Public Finances Law, and Planning & Budget Commission Law which have been set to strengthen insitutitions deliver on the government's commitment and guarantee citizens participation in governance. The open government platform in the state have provided space for citizens to champion reforms and pursue transparency, accountability in governance, Goje recounts.

Goje however, faulted the 2021 budget call circular as on encouraging stakeholders engagement than mandating it, expressing fears that at the discretion of other Ministries and Agencies of the state government, citizens input will not be guaranteed in the 2020 budget. According to Goje, "many of the heads of the Ministries Department and Agencies have limited understanding of the Open Government Partnership and the commitments in the State action-plan"

Amongst other things, Goje recommended strongly that,"a letter be circulated to heads of MDAs mandating them to engage with relevant stakeholders in formulating their 2021 budget. The Planning & Budget Commission should see to it that they make provision in their budgets for low-cost CDCs in alignment with our fiscal reality, government priorities and response to Covid-19."

He is optimistic that these would guarantee a more meaningful consultative process as the government has tirelessly struggled to achieve in the past years and also make secure the participation of rural communities, who have always been left out in the open budget process.

Comments

Expert advocates for prudence and and accountability in Treasury Management

By EDDY OCHIGBO L ack of efficient and prudent treasury management in the country have been identified as the source of fraud and sharp practices in nation's public and private sector. Dropping the hint during a breakfast meeting with Correspondents in Kaduna during the week, the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Treasury Management of Nigeria, Mr Adedoyin Olumide, reiterated that poor treasury management remains the bane of public and private finance utilization in the country, calling for greater synergy among all professionals in accounting, banking and finance. He disclosed tha...

Fiscal responsibility: Kaduna State's debt burden and unrealistic budgeting

By YUSUF ISHAKU GOJE T he budget is said to be the second most important document outside the constitution, without which even the constitution cannot fully function. It enables governments to turn campaign promises articulated as policies into concrete public services that seek to improve the overall living standard of the people. That is why it remains the most critical socio-economic policy tool that outlines the government's priorities in financial terms. The extent to which the government's proposed spending sticks to what it has projected as realistic revenue makes a budget credible. Therefore, it also becomes a measurement of government's sincerity and capacity to deliver on campaign promises. More importantly, the credibility of any budget depends on its realism, as you cannot spend what you cannot get. That means for a budget to be realistic it has to be substantially achievable. However, politicians are always under pressure to spend more, most times overshooting ...

NIGERIA: Need for more transparency in Education

Pupils in a class without facilities A seasoned governance and human development expert, Dr Otive Igbuzor has identified lack of monitoring, accountability and transparency in the system, as the major factors militating against the progress of the nation's waning education sector and called for a holistic and well-thought-out approach to reverse the trend. Igbuzor who made this known at a one-day parley with Correspondents and Media Executives in Kaduna Nigeria, spoke extensively on the root causes of corruption, the need for probity in the education sector, budget analysis as well as education as key to human development. The one-day sensitization program put together by Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women (LANW/LEADS) alongside Mac Arthur Foundation, harped on 'enhancing reportage on Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) projects in the state as well as Public Procurement Process in the sector' to strengthen accountability and transparency in the...

Anniversary Feature: A Toast for Nigeria @ 59

By Yusuf Goje T he fundamental difference between dictatorship and a liberal democracy is the existence of the legislative arm in the latter. The legislative arm empowers the people via direct representation of their elected legislators to amplify and reflect their voices (needs) in decision-making process; such as in law-making, appropriation and other national or state issues. It is envisaged that the legislative arm either at the Federal or State level should be the closest link between the people and government. As the legislators are expected to regularly consult their constituents on legislative issues to be tabled and provide feedback on the resolutions reached at the Assembly. In view of the foregoing, Nigeria which practice a Federating system with the States as component units has seen section 90 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria establish the House of Assembly of a State; while section 100 provides for the mode of ex...

PERL trains Planning Officers, Citizens on Accountability, Service Delivery

As Stakeholders review 2022 Local Government Draft Budget Cross-section of participants at the engagement during a session By EDDY OCHIGBO, Kaduna I n its sustained drive to enhance accountability and seamless service delivery at the local government level in Kaduna state, Partnership to Engage and Learn in collaboration with Local Government Accountability Mechanism (LGAM), on Monday October 25, 2021, organized a two-day technical session to increase the capacity and technical expertise of citizen groups and planning officers in the state. To this end, the Local Government Accountability Mechanism (LGAM), a collaborative initiative of the Ministry for Local Government Affairs, Civil Society partners and Partnership to Engage, Reform & Learn (PERL/FCDO), working as technical working groups to strengthen governance at the grassroots, have reviewed the Kaduna state 2022 budget with trend analysis, observations and recommendations. The review of the ₦1,134,051...

Cubinks NEWS

Search This Blog