The Federal House of Representatives has assured the citizens that it will review the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007 to strengthen existing provisions to improve access to information and public consultation during all phases of the budget cycle.
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Tajudeen Abass, the Speaker of the House, who made this known at the Citizens’ Town Hall Meeting on the 2024 Budget and Appropriation Process organized by the House Committee of Appropriations in Abuja on Monday, said the House would amend the FRA 2007 to require and define public participation explicitly.
He said the town hall meeting provided a platform for direct engagement between legislators and citizens, focusing on matters related to the national budget and encouraged greater citizen participation in the budget process to deepen democratic governance and strengthen public financial management in the country.
The Speaker said the House had taken the lead in facilitating the engagement of the people in the budget process, challenging all ministries, departments, and agencies to do the same.
This, he said, is crucial to enhancing the transparency of government spending and will sustain the initiative.
He said, “It also allows the public to be more informed about how public funds are to be used and, by so doing, build greater trust in government institutions. More importantly, however, this town hall will allow the National Assembly to understand citizens’ needs better and explore ways to address them through the budget.
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“We believe this process should start before the budget is presented to the National Assembly. This is critical to ensuring that the budget becomes the people’s budget. We expect that the 2025 budget will be discussed at the constituency level to ensure greater inclusion and engagement with diverse stakeholders at the grassroots level.”
