In a bid to enhance citizen participation in governance, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe state has convened a citizens’ engagement session to discuss the proposed 2024 annual budget.
The event held at the Gombe International Hotel, Thursday, brought together representatives from various segments of the community.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Yahaya expressed gratitude to God for the opportunity to engage with the people at the grassroots level on matters concerning the state’s fiscal plans. He emphasised the critical role of citizens’ involvement in governance, citing it as an essential avenue to ensure collective decision-making.
The governor highlighted the administration’s commitment to transparency and citizen accountability, noting that since assuming office in 2019, the process of engaging citizens in the preparation and assessment of the annual budget has been institutionalized. He stressed the importance of feedback from the citizens in identifying areas for improvement in service delivery.
Governor Yahaya reflected on the success stories of the administration, particularly the reforms introduced to enhance Public Financial Management (PFM), acknowledging the pain of institutionalising the PFM but deemed it rewarding, as evidenced by the state’s recent ranking as the 5th in the country in the Transparency and Integrity Index, 2023.
The governor credited citizens’ suggestions incorporated into the 2021 budget for enriching the document and fostering a deeper commitment to its implementation. He highlighted the administration’s successful track record in budget implementation, especially in the capital aspects, earning the state recognition in the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme in Nigeria.
