‘Bayelsa 2021 budget will be based on citizens’ input’

Nathan Tamarapreye

The Bayelsa State government has said that the 2021 budget will be driven by the citizens’ input and participation towards the utilisation of public funds based on the needs of the people.

The state governor, Douye Diri stated that the government is ready to embrace best practices in budget process by engaging all stakeholders which include the executive, legislature, civil society, labour, youths, women, community leaders, physically challenged, and more.

Represented by his Deputy, Lawrence Ewrhudjakpo, Diri, added that the state is adopting the citizen-based approach in budgetary process for the second time.

“The Citizen’s Participation Budget Conference has been called in compliance with section 22(2) of the Fiscal Responsibility Law of 2009 (as amended) which states:

“The government shall direct citizen’s participation conference to be convened and cause the outcomes of the said conference, together with the view expressed to be published on the state website.

“It is designed to ensure accountability and strong collaboration by all stakeholders in stewarding our communal resources.

“Indeed, in reviewing and approving the annual state budget, you play the vital role of guaranteeing that we apportion our resources sensibly and in accordance with our shared vision and values, with a view toward helping all our citizens thrive and prosper, in a sustainable manner.

“Budget policy is therefore, mostly about planning. As Benjamin Franklin stated, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

“The impact of COVID 19 pandemic and the heavy toll it has taken on our inflows from Federal Allocations, hence the need to plan to diversify our economy has become more urgent,” Diri said.

According to him, government will focus on security, health, education, and agriculture in the 2012 fiscal year for allocating resources among competing needs and plan for delivering on its promises and obligations to the citizens of Bayelsa.

Speaking earlier, Mr Akpoebidei Alamieyeseigha noted that the participation of citizens will eliminate the issue of duplicating projects as well as ensure value for money.

He explained that the input of the people at the foundational non-technical stage was critical to the success of the next statues and urged the stakeholders to participate meaningfully in the process.

Representatives of several stakeholder groups took turns to make contributions and needs assessment during the interactive session segment.

Chief Joshua Igbugburu, monarch of Bomo clan in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa urged the state government to fund the Yenagoa-Poroma road project to connect the coastal communities in his Roman by road.

Executive Director DO Foundation, Mrs Dise Ogbise, who spoke on behalf of the civil society commended the government for adopting a transparent approach by involving members of the public.

She, however, pledged the support of civil society organisations in the state to the process.