The Kogi State Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning has organized a one-day refresher training for its staff, focusing on the use of upgraded templates for the 2026 budget preparation.
Declaring the training open, the Acting Permanent Secretary (Budget), Mrs. Sarah Ocheja, who represented the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Hon. Asiwaju Idris, welcomed participants and explained that the programme was designed to equip staff with updated knowledge and tools needed for a credible and realistic budget process.
The Commissioner stressed that the refresher training is timely as preparations for the 2026 budget are underway, and encouraged participants to take full advantage of the learning opportunity.
He noted that capacity-building initiatives such as this are vital to keeping government budgets transparent, realistic, and people-oriented. Hon. Idris, however, commended the Acting Director of Budget, Mallam Abdullahi Saheed, for his tireless efforts toward ensuring the success of the programme and also described his recent recognition as Outstanding Staff at the 2025 Civil Service Week alongside Mr. Baba Abel , a staff of the Head of Service, as well-deserved and worthy of emulation.
He further affirmed the present administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare and to rewarding productivity in service.
In his presentation, the Acting Director of Budget, Mallam Abdullah Saheed, explained that the training aims to improve accuracy and transparency in the budget process by upgrading templates to meet best practices. He emphasized that the 2026 budget must be credible, realistic, and defendable, and disclosed that civil society organizations (CSOs) will be involved as representatives of the people to strengthen inclusiveness and accountability.
He also used the medium to commend the immediate past Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olajide, for laying a solid foundation for the department’s current progress.
Delivering the vote of thanks, the Director Planning, ( Macro) Department, Mallam Abubakar Musa applauded the government for its continued support to civil servants through training and capacity-building. He noted that Kogi State maintains a strong reputation for transparency and accountability in budgeting, especially with foreign partners, and urged staff to sustain this record by ensuring that the 2026 budget remains both realistic and achievable.
Princess Funsho Sumanu
Public Relations Officer
Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning
