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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Edo State government, yesterday, engaged the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other relevant stakeholders in the state in preparation of the 2022 budget saying, input would move state forward.
The theme of the forum was “medium term expenditure frame work for multi-year 2022 to 2024 aimed towards preparation of year 2022 budget preparation.
Speaking with reporters during the one day stakeholders forum, the commissioner for budget and economic planning, Mrs Otse Momoh-Omorogbe, said the engagement is to have citizens’ input in the 2022 budget preparation.
“Every year during budget preparatory stage, we engage citizens and other stakeholders in order to have their inputs and comments”.
She said the inputs and comments of stakeholders will enable the state government to prepare a good and better 2022 budget for the citizens.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Efe Iserhienrhie, said the engagement will enable the ministry to know what to include and remove in the budget in order to have the people’s budget.
“This afford us the opportunity to explain to them while we are proposing the budget, where we intend to get the money and how we are going to finance it and spend the expected revenue”.
A member of the civil society organisation, Dr Bright Tony, chairman, Technical Working Group Adolescent Youth Health Development, described the engagement as a progress in budget preparation.
“Before now, citizens input
are not sought for in budget preparation.We have made some remarks and when the budget is actually presented, we would now see if those remarks were actually reflected ”
On her part, Vivian Evbotokhai of Lift Above Poverty Organisation called on the government to role out plan for the women in the 2022 budget so that women would be part of the government.
She also called on the government not to produce a bogus budget that cannot be implemented.
