Following the approval of Medium Term Expenditure Framework by the Gombe State Executive Council, Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, on Thursday urged citizens of the state to contribute to the preparation of 2024 budget through recommendations.
He made this disclosure during a one-day citizens’ consultative meeting on the preparation of 2024 budget in Gombe State.
Yahaya, who was represented by Secretary to Government of the State Professor Ibrahim Njodi, said since assumption of office in 2019, the state always involved residents to get their inputs in its fiscal document.
He said, “Distinguished participants, it is on record that when we started this process in 2020, we made the bold step to include your suggestions in the 2021 budget. I am glad to inform you that this has enriched the document and has even made us more committed to implementing our Budgets.
“The implementation of the Budget since the inception of our administration has been very encouraging and rewarding, especially the capital aspects of the Budget. This has made us among the best, which made us receive an award in the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability programme in Nigeria.”
While disclosing its efforts in the outgone year, Yahaya added, “Our priorities will remain in the areas of health, education, water supply, housing, infrastructure, and rural development. We have consistently maintained this focus and your input during this consultation will not be taken for granted, as the previous ones have guided our decision in the implementation of the budgets.”
Also speaking, Speaker of Gombe State House of Assembly, Abubakar Luggerewo, urged participants to make recommendations inline with its 10-year development plan, adding “I want to call on you, the contribution you are going to make today let it be in conformity with our development plan I know there may be things you may want to change because of current realities you can bring it up so that it will be noted and be incorporated into the peoples’ budget which is under preparation now.”
Luggerewo vowed that they would incorporate the desires of participants, “I want to appeal to you that Gombe State House of Assembly will do everything possible to make sure your inputs, suggestions and your recommendations are taken care of in the 2024 budget,” he added.
On his part, A Public Financial Management Specialist, State2State, Gombe, Oluwatosin Oke, expressed his organisation’s delight that most of its yearnings have been met.
Oke said, “We are happy at State2State that Gombe State Government has sustained efforts to ensure that citizens are engaged in the budget preparation process. Just last week, we implored the government to speed up the 2024 budget process during the Gombe State Quarterly PFM Roundtable that we convened in collaboration with the Gombe State Fiscal Responsibility Commission, the same advocacy was also made during the State CSO Forum which also held last week.
“We will like to commend the state government for responding to the cries of the stakeholders by approving the 2024-2026 Fiscal Strategy Paper on Wednesday and holding the public budget consultation with the citizens’ today (Thursday). No doubt, the state government, led by His Excellency, the Governor of the State, is conscious of sustaining the PFM reforms we have been supporting the state on since the inception of State2State in 2021, this also signposts the commitment of the state to sustain the States Fiscal Responsibility Accountability and Sustainability reforms relating to citizens budget engagement.”
While expressing optimism that the 2024 budget would be people centred, “We hope that the a higher proportion of the people’s requests will be reflected in the 2024 budget proposal that will be submitted to the State House of Assembly, about 50 per cent of people’s request were reflected in the 2023 budget and we hope that the Assembly will also review the budget to ensure the needs of the people are duly reflected. For us at State2State, we will continue to support participatory budget reforms in the state,” Oke added.
