Council Seeks More Funds For Capital Projects

The Joint Planning Board and the National Council on Development Planning on Tuesday advised all tiers of government to allocate more funds for capital projects in their budgets.

This is contained in a 21- paragraph communiqué issued in Enugu at the end of the meeting on Development Planning and Transformation organised by the National Planning Commission (NPC) in collaboration with Enugu State Government.

The communiqué, read by the Secretary of NPC, Mr Fidelis Ugbo, stressed the need for synergy in development agenda of Federal and State Governments in linking annual budgets with development plans.

“There is a disconnect between budgets and plans and the need for realignment.

“Nigeria needs to practice the principle of ‘result for resource’ which will require result-based planning and budgeting,” it said.

It observed that budgets of states were not adequately informed by fiscal policies and strategies.

The communiqué urged NPC and states to develop strategies of strengthening the linkage between budgets and long term plans at all levels.

It also recommended the strengthening of institutions at national and sub national levels for effective implementation of development plans.

It called on states that had yet to establish planning commissions and statistical bureaux to do so to ensure full implementation of state plans.

The communiqué also recommended the establishment of Monitoring and Evaluation Departments at state level.