By Princess Funsho Sumanu
The Kogi State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Hon. Asiwaju Asiru Idris, FCA, has called for stronger citizens’ participation in the formulation of the 2027 budget, stressing the need to align government spending with the needs and aspirations of the people.
Hon. Idris made the call at the stakeholders’ town hall meeting on the preparation of the 2027 Kogi State Budget, held at Edge Drive Hotels, Lokoja, where representatives of civil society organisations, community leaders and other stakeholders discussed development priorities, budget performance and ways to improve public service delivery.
The Commissioner described the budget as more than a financial document, noting that it remains the principal instrument through which government translates its policies, vision and development priorities into programmes, projects and measurable results.
He said the preparation of the 2027 budget must be a collective responsibility, with citizens given meaningful opportunities to influence decisions that affect their communities and livelihoods.
According to him, the engagement was designed to review progress, identify areas requiring improvement and determine how available resources could be directed towards programmes and projects with the greatest social and economic impact.
“We are here to listen, understand the priorities of our people, examine what has worked, identify what has not worked sufficiently, and determine where government resources should be directed to achieve the greatest possible impact,” he said.
Hon. Idris urged participants to go beyond formal speeches and offer frank opinions, constructive criticism and practical recommendations that would help government make informed decisions during the budget preparation process.
Reviewing the State’s fiscal performance, the Commissioner disclosed that the 2026 half-year budget performance report showed total revenue, including opening balance, of approximately ₦308.22 billion, representing 37.6 per cent of the revised annual budget.
Total expenditure during the period stood at approximately ₦259.97 billion, representing 31.7 per cent of the revised budget, while internally generated revenue reached approximately ₦26.22 billion, representing 59.6 per cent of the revised annual target.
He said the IGR performance underscored the growing importance of domestic revenue mobilisation to the State’s fiscal sustainability, adding that government would need to continue improving revenue administration, expanding the revenue base, reducing leakages and creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
The Commissioner also emphasised the need to translate budgetary provisions into tangible projects and services, noting that the true measure of a budget lies in the results it delivers to citizens rather than the amount appropriated.
He identified job creation, improved education and healthcare, stronger infrastructure, increased agricultural productivity, business development and opportunities for young people as key considerations that should guide the 2027 budget.
Hon. Idris further called for stronger project monitoring and evaluation, improved expenditure efficiency and greater collaboration with the private sector and development partners to accelerate economic growth.
He maintained that the budget must remain realistic, credible, implementable and people-centred, while urging stakeholders to take collective responsibility for ensuring that public resources deliver maximum value.
In his presentation, the Executive Director of Renaissance Care and Empowerment Foundation (RECEF), Amb. Idris Ozovehe Muraina, urged the State Government to move beyond the annual preparation of budgets as a routine exercise and embrace a more intentional, evidence-based and development-driven approach.
Muraina said the town hall meeting should serve as a meaningful platform for citizens to influence government priorities before the budget is finalised, rather than merely providing an opportunity to react to decisions that have already been made.
He stressed that the success of the engagement should be measured by the extent to which credible and practical recommendations from citizens are reflected in the budget presented, passed and implemented.
The civil society advocate called for stronger alignment between the 2027 budget and the Kogi State Development Plan 2024–2056, noting that long-term development aspirations must be translated into costed sector plans, measurable targets, clear implementation timelines and defined institutional responsibilities.
He said major capital projects should be linked to specific development objectives and assessed against their intended benefits, implementation requirements and expected outcomes.
Muraina also identified access to potable water and affordable transportation as areas requiring serious attention in the 2027 budget.
He called for a comprehensive assessment of existing public water infrastructure, the rehabilitation of viable treatment and transmission systems, repairs to damaged networks and the extension of water services to underserved communities.
On transportation, he advocated a sustainable mass transit system that would reduce the burden of transportation costs on workers, students, traders and low-income households.
He explained that an effective mass transit system should go beyond the procurement of vehicles to include proper route planning, professional management, maintenance arrangements, transparent operations and a sustainable expansion plan capable of serving Lokoja and other major towns and transport corridors across the State.
Muraina said these interventions would help improve living conditions, reduce economic pressures on households and create a stronger foundation for inclusive development.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Kogi NGOs Network (KONGONET), Barr. Hamza Aliyu, presented findings from a citizens’ perception survey conducted to assess public experiences with selected Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Aliyu said the survey was designed to determine how citizens who had interacted with selected MDAs perceived the quality of services they received, particularly in institutions participating in the Open Government Partnership process.
He explained that approximately 2,200 questionnaires were distributed during the exercise, with about 105 allocated to each local government area.
According to him, the survey was conducted in the previous year and repeated to determine whether citizens had observed improvements in service delivery.
Aliyu disclosed that the Ministries of Education, Health, and Finance, Budget and Economic Planning featured among the three leading MDAs in the survey findings.
He said the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning recorded the most improved public perception in the latest survey, attributing the outcome to the difference stakeholders had observed in the ministry’s engagement with civil society and other participants.
The KONGONET chairman, however, expressed concern that the Ministries of Water Resources and Environment’s sanitation-related services remained among the lowest-performing areas in the survey.
He called for these concerns to be addressed in the 2027 budget, noting that citizens’ dissatisfaction with service delivery should prompt a closer examination of the resources allocated to the affected sectors and the extent to which those resources were released and utilised.
Aliyu said the survey findings, when considered alongside the State’s half-year budget performance information, raised questions about whether inadequate funding and delays in the release of approved resources were contributing to weak service delivery.
He therefore urged the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning and other relevant authorities to pay closer attention to budget releases and implementation, stressing that appropriations alone would not produce results without timely and effective execution.
The KONGONET chairman also advocated the institutionalisation of citizens’ budget engagements to ensure that the process continues beyond the tenure of individual officeholders.
He recommended that budget consultations should be supported by a legal framework, allowing successive administrations to sustain the practice and ensuring that citizens retain a recognised platform for influencing budget priorities and assessing government performance.
Aliyu said the objective should be to build strong institutions and systems that would endure beyond the tenure of current officials.
He also called for greater participation by government officials at future engagements, expressing hope that subsequent town hall meetings would provide even more opportunities for citizens to engage directly with the State’s political leadership.
The stakeholders’ meeting underscored the importance of connecting budget planning with citizens’ everyday experiences, strengthening public accountability and ensuring that government spending translates into visible development outcomes.
The contributions reinforced the need for the 2027 budget to reflect the State’s long-term development priorities while responding to immediate needs in water supply, transportation, education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure and economic opportunity.
The engagement also provided a platform for civil society organisations and other stakeholders to offer recommendations on improving fiscal transparency, public service delivery and the implementation of government programmes.
The meeting forms part of the preparatory process towards the formulation of the 2027 Kogi State Budget, with citizens’ participation expected to help inform the priorities and spending decisions that will shape the State’s development in the coming year.
