Posted by By Isaac Olamikan on
Henceforth, budget shaping and implementation in Bayelsa State will be thrown open to the citizens of the state. This much was revealed by Honourable Oronto Douglas, the Commissioner for Information, Culture, Tourism and Strategy in a recent media chat.
Henceforth, budget shaping and implementation in Bayelsa State will be thrown open to the citizens of the state. This much was revealed by Honourable Oronto Douglas, the Commissioner for Information, Culture, Tourism and Strategy in a recent media chat. "As budget christening in Nigeria becomes habitual with a threat of the ceaseless naming degenerating to meaninglessness, the government of Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha is putting forth a novel policy that is anchored on inviting and then surrendering to citizens groups especially those organized as communities to become involved in the making, shaping and implementing the Bayelsa State Budget.
"A new era of community participation in the design and implementation of the state yearly budget is now set to sail as a strategic step forwards accelerating the development of Bayelsa and in creating an atmosphere of better and more enduring democratic and developmental ethics. The days of a top down approach to development are over," the commissioner stressed.
Hon. Douglas revealed that the proposal involved (a) Direct contact and communication with the leaders and people of the communities by no less a person than the governor of the state, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha;
(b) The mobilization of the communities to become part of the budget process, and assisting the mobilized communities to implement and monitor the budget from their various communities,
(d) Support and encouragement of Civil Society actors in the area of community budget monitoring so that our social contract with the people of Bayelsa is not in any way breached in the present and in the future;
(e) Encouraging partnership
He revealed that the new initiative will require the training of some individuals presented by the communities. These individuals he asserted will be expected to brainstorm with the people that matter in the community so that an agreement will be reached on which project is of top priority and where it should be cited in the area.
"If truth must be told, if the development agenda applied by us is not 'owned' by the people, our development will remain as distant to us as planet Pluto," Oronto Douglas intoned.