We’ll ensure people-focused budget – Kwara govt

Kwara government says that the contributions of the people of the state will form the bedrock of its fiscal proposals and budgeting.

This was contained in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Tuesday by Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Mrs Modupe Joel.

Joel quoted Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as stated this at the end of citizens’ engagement on the 2022 budget at Owu Isin in Isin Local Government Area of the state.

Represented by his Deputy, Mr Kayode Alabi, the governor noted that the democratisation of the budget preparation process was in line with global best practices of transparency as well as participatory and impactful budget performance.

“We are making sure that budgeting is participatory so that people’s needs are captured and implemented within the limits of funding,” he said.

The governor appealed to citizens to state their preferences, saying that they would be implemented within the available resources.

In his address of welcome, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Alhaji AbdulRazaq Folorunsho, said that the gathering was to harvest inputs from citizens into the 2022 budget preparation.

Also speaking, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Aliyu Saifudeen, implored people of the state to be robust in their contributions.

He said that the programme, put together by the state government, was an integral part of the fiscal document against next year.

Saifudeen announced that the governor had directed the ministry of finance to release all monies directly to the local governments without any reduction.