NGO wants open budget practice upheld to promote transparency, good governance

The practice of open budget processes in all tiers of government will ensure transparency as well as promote good governance in the country, Policy Alert, a non-governmental organization (NGO) has said.
According to the organization, openness will also ensure accessibility of the budget by the citizens to boost budget implementation.
In an interview, Tijah Akpan, executive director of Policy Alert, said better service delivery can be achieved in the country when citizens begin to participate in the budget project process; adding that the people must know what budget has been allocated to key sectors.
Akpan, who spoke shortly after a one-day seminar on “Open Budget” held in Uyo, the state capital, said, the budget format should be such that it can be easily understood by the people; and commended the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for being at the forefront in organizing public hearing of budgets in the country.
“The whole idea is about openness, making the process accessible to the people, and ensuring that the budget is prepared in a participatory manner; considering its importance to the people. People must know how much is budgeted for the education or health sector,” he said.
He called on the Executive Arm of government in the state, to emulate the Legislature in conducting public hearing, even in senatorial districts across the state, before drafting and forwarding the Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly.
Akpan also suggested the need for such document to be made accessible for those reading it online, to be able to inject inputs, and such inputs taken into consideration.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke, commended Policy Alert for its people-oriented initiative; adding that the Assembly had established and sustained the tradition of organizing public hearings to gather collective contributions from civil societies and professional bodies.
“The Appropriation Law is one of the important laws of any government. It serves as one of the key roadmaps and the compass in government’s journey towards the actualization of its set agenda,” Luke said.
He explained that N423 billion was approved for the outgone 2016 fiscal year, made up of N94 billion for recurrent expenditure, N234 billion for capital expenditure, and N85 billion consolidated revenue fund charges; adding that however, the targets for that year could not be met due to the shortfall in the state’s income for that year.
According to the Assembly speaker, only 37 percent of what was projected to earn from a combination of statutory allocation, internally generated revenue (IGR), and derivation, was realized for the 2016 fiscal year.
He explained that the ultimate objective of the budget is to make sure a budget is a reflection of the collective needs, as well as bring about the necessary succour to the people, even in these trying economic times, is approved.