FG to launch Citizens Budget Portal, says Udoma

Nigeria’s Federal Government will soon launch a citizen’s budget portal that will ensure openness and transparency in the budget process and improve the country’s lowly ranked index, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma said.

 

Nigeria’s position in the International Budget Partnership (IBP) index, remains as low as 24 out of 100 as budgetary process usually gets shrouded in secrecy with low citizens’ participation.

 

” A Citizens Budget Portal would soon be launched so that Nigerian citizens can access budget information as well as engage government effectively on budget issues on-line. This technology-based platform will provide reliable, timely, easily understandable and accessible budget information to Nigerian citizens and other interested parties,” Udoma, said in Abuja.

 

He was speaking at the Workshop on Budget Transparency and Accountability, organised by Collaborative Africa Budget Research Initiative (CABRI) in conjunction with the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) for some selected Directors from Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), civil society groups and other stakeholders.

 

The minister who said that the present administration was committed to engendering greater transparency budget preparation process and participation, regretted that Nigeria is still ranked lower than some of the African countries in budget openness and citizens’ participation.

 

“According to the 2015 Open Budget Survey for Nigeria, published by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), Nigeria’s Open Budget Index Score is 24 out of 100.

 

“This is a measure of our transparency level, and is regrettably quite low when compared with other African countries like South Africa which scored 86, Malawi 65, and Uganda 62,” Udoma added.

 

Minister of State, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said the workshop was organised to enhance comprehensive and better Public Financial Management (PFM) as part of the ongoing reforms of the present administration.

 

Ahmed also stated that the government intend to use the Open Government Partnership (OGP) mechanisms to upscale its fight against corruption, through fiscal transparency and Citizens Engagement in budget processes.

 

Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, also speaking at the event said that Nigeria, having joined other countries in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) was a testament that the country was fully prepared to depart from the ugly past when everything about the budget was shrewd in secrecy.

 

He noted that Nigeria’s joining the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a global Coalition and multi- stakeholders Initiative, with focus on improving transparency, accountability, citizens’ participation and responsiveness in the budget processes was a good omen needed to boost government’s fight against corruption.