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In a bid to ensure an all-inclusive governance, the Chairman of Akko Local Government Area, Gombe State, Mohammed Danladi, has commenced the collation of demands from the residents for the 2025 budget.
The process began at a town hall consultative stakeholders’ meeting on Thursday, which brought together representatives from all 11 wards and three Emirates in the LGA.
Arewa PUNCH reports that the meeting provided a platform for various groups, including people with disabilities, youth, women organisations, traditional and religious leaders, associations, and NGOs, to make input into the budget.
The meeting reviewed the performance of the current year’s budget and collated inputs from communities through the Citizens Charter Demand.
Speaking, Comrade Idris Lawanti, Chairman of the Association of Non-Governmental Organisations, Gombe State, commended the local government for creating an enabling environment for citizens’ participation.
However, he expressed concern over the lukewarm attitude of people in making inputs towards the budget.
Lawanti praised the USAID-backed State-to-State initiative “for advocating for a citizen-centered budget and urged residents to ensure strict monitoring of projects captured in the budget,” he said.
Also, Director of Budget, Gombe Ministry of Budget and Planning, Mohammed Adamu, noted that Gombe State has adopted the global standard of citizen-centered budgeting assuring the meeting that “the ministry ministry would support the local government in this endeavour.”
Hajiya Zariyatu Abubakar, the Local Government Manager, United States Agency for International Development State-to-State, highlighted the initiative’s focus on education, health, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). She tasked women, youth, and people with disabilities “to voice their demands for inclusion in the budget,” Abubakar said.
The chairman of the LGA, Danladi, promised that all inputs would be captured and implemented for the growth and development of Akko LGA. He also commended the budget and planning department even as he outlined the local administration’s governance approaches for the coming year.
Some of the stakeholders who reacted in a chat with our correspondent commended the organisers of the citizens’ budget, maintaining that “It is a welcome development. We are happy to be part of the budget process,” said Aisha Mohammed, a representative of the women’s group.
“We will ensure that our demands are implemented,” said Ibrahim Abubakar, a youth leader.
