Where is N100bn zonal intervention project details, BudgIT asks FG

Tracka, BudgIT’s service delivery promotion platform, which allows citizens to collaborate, track, and give feedback on public projects in their communities, has demanded that the Budget Office of the Federation release the budgetary details of the N100 billion Zonal Intervention Project (ZIP) outlined in the 2024 Federal Government budget.

A statement signed by Ayomide Ladipo, head, Tracka, noted that in previous years, the specifics of this section of the Federal Government budget were available on the Budget Office of the Federation’s website for public access. Despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signing the budget on January 1, 2024, the detailed allocation of the N100 billion Zonal intervention project remains undisclosed.

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In addition, the 2023 third and fourth-quarter budget implementation reports and monthly fiscal account of the Federal Government, particularly between September 2023 and April 2024, are yet to be published. This undermines transparency and accountability as citizens and oversight bodies cannot monitor how public funds are utilized effectively.

While commenting on the development, Gabriel Okeowo, BudgIT’s country director, expressed displeasure over the unprecedented delay. “This is the first time this has happened in 10 years. All necessary fiscal documents must be available to the public to ensure an open, transparent, and accountable budget implementation process and enable citizens to monitor and ensure the delivery of these projects, especially in the current economic reality.”

The implications of not having the aforementioned documents publicly available and accessible will keep citizens uninformed about the government’s fiscal accounts and the budget implementation process, aiding the mismanagement of taxpayer funds, among other anomalies.

Tracka calls on the Budget Office of the Federation, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take necessary action and upload detailed information on the Zonal intervention projects and other fiscal documents to their websites for public use.