There is a wide gap between the Bayelsa State Government and the people of the state, participants at a two-day workshop on ‘Participatory Budgeting and Data-Driven Campaign’ observed on Tuesday.
The workshop was organised in Yenagoa by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) in collaboration with the Bayelsa Non-Governmental Organisations Forum (BANGOF) in pursuance of the NGO’s “Strengthening Oil Revenue Management in Niger Delta Project Phase 2”.
In a five-point communiqué issued after the workshop, the participants, who were drawn from civil society organisations, media and resource persons, pointed out that the government had not created democratic platforms to connect with the people.
The communiqué was signed by Torki Dauseye, BANGOF Chairman, Elizabeth Egbe, Executive Director, Operation Rescue (Yenagoa) and Innocent Edenhanria, Policy Officer, ANEEJ.
It suggested that the state government should go beyond the monthly transparency briefing and engage the people in regular town hall meetings to open the space for the participation of more people in the governance process of the state.
It also urged the state House of Assembly to consult constituencies, carry out needs assessment and incorporate them into government planning process.
It enjoined the legislature to step up its level of oversight on the executive to ensure that annual budgets were implemented to an acceptable level while upholding the principle of checks and balances.
It further noted that the state government was not collaborating effectively with civil society organisations and local communities in budget processes, particularly in budget preparation and monitoring.
It, therefore, called on the government to bridge the existing gap between it and the people to deepen democracy in the state.
The stakeholders also tasked civil society organisations to take interest in budget process and improve their capacity in budget monitoring and tracking in order to be able to hold government to account in terms of budget implementation.
SOURCE; DAILY INDEPENDENT
http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/07/bayelsa-govt-tasked-participatory-governance/
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