The Borno Government said it has adopted practical measures to enhance community engagement, participation in preparation and formulation of the 2020 budget.
The state Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Adamu Lawan, said this on the sideline of a townhall meeting organised on ‘Citizens Budget 2020’ on Thursday in Maiduguri.
Lawan explained that the meeting was designed to enable the people, organisations and cooperative societies to participate and contribute to the preparation of the 2020 budget.
“The state government conveyed the townhall meeting and invited all and sundry including Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs); youth and women associations, organisations, and community leaders to enable them to air their views on the budget.
“The idea is to get feedback from the citizens; we do not want as a government to bring to the people policies and programmes without due consideration to their views.
“We want their feedback, advice, suggestion and participation so that we can incorporate their needs and aspirations into the budget,” he said.
Lawan said that the ministry would deliberate on the complaints, suggestions and advice compiled at the end of the meeting and use it in its preparation of the year 2020 and subsequent budgets.
He noted that the state government ministries, departments and agencies had so far presented their submissions to fast track preparation for the Citizens Budget 2020.
According to him, the 2020 budget will accord priority attention to issues of girl child education, PLWDs, housing and infrastructure development as well as Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement (RRR) programme.
Lawan said that the state government had entered into agreement with indigenous estate developers for construction of thousands of houses under the Family Housing Scheme for workers and low income earners.
The commissioner added that the Federal Ministry of Finance in partnership with the Central of Bank of Nigeria and the World Bank, would provide grant to fast track reconstruction and infrastructure development projects in the state.
Mr Adamu Umar, the representative of the PLWDs, who spoke at the meeting, lamented that their members were not carried along in the scheme of things by previous administrations in the state.
Umar lauded the gesture, noting that it will go a long way to encourage them to make positive contributions in budget preparation and policy formulations that have direct bearing to their social and economic well being.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was attended by the Secretary to State Government, Alhaji Jidda Shuwa, commissioners, community leaders and representatives of development organisations as well as youths and women. (NAN)
