The workshop remarked that the state government was not collaborating effectively with civil society organizations and local communities in budget processes, particularly in budget preparation and monitoring.
A wide gap exists between the Bayelsa State government and the people of the state, participants at a two-day workshop, “Participatory Budgeting and Data-Driven Campaign,” said earlier today.
The workshop took place in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, organized by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) in collaboration with the Bayelsa Non-Governmental Organizations Forum (BANGOF). The workshop examined the strengthening of oil revenue management in the Niger Delta.
In a five-point communiqué issued after the workshop, the participants, who were drawn from civil society organizations, media and resource persons, stated that the government had not created democratic platforms to connect it with the people. The document was signed by Torki Dauseye, chairman of BANGOF, Elizabeth Egbe, executive director of Operation Rescue (Yenagoa), and Innocent Edenhanria, a policy officer.
The statement urged the state government to go beyond its monthly transparency briefings and to engage the people in regular town hall meetings in order to open the space for wider participation in the state’s governance.
It also suggested that state legislators consult their constituencies, carry out needs assessment, and incorporate them into government planning. It called on the legislature to step up its level of oversight on the executive branch to ensure that annual budgets were implemented to an acceptable level while upholding the principle of checks and balances.
The workshop remarked that the state government was not collaborating effectively with civil society organizations and local communities in budget processes, particularly in budget preparation and monitoring. It urged the government to bridge the existing gap between it and the people to deepen democracy in the state.
The participants challenged civil society organizations to take greater interest in budget processes and to improve their capacity in budget monitoring and tracking in order to hold the government to account in terms of budget implementation.