Oyo Assembly Moves To Facilitate Participation In Budget Processing

The Oyo State House of
Assembly has adopted a motion for public participation in the 2014 budget processing to ensure input of stakeholders.
The house’s motion was adopted at the plenary session, presided over by the Speaker, Alhaja Monsurat Sunmonu.
The lawmakers called on the executive arm of the state government through the ministry of economic planning and budgeting to ensure that the public is carried along in the preparation of the 2014 budget estimates.
“This hone Executive Arm of the state government through the ministry of Economic planning and budget to ensure that the public is carried along,
“There should be participation through Town Hall meetings across the 33 local governments in the state,’’ the House said.
The Tide source reports that the motion, tagged, “Public Participation In Budget Process, A Good Approach Towards Realistic Budgeting’’, was moved by Oyebisi Oyeleye, representing Ibadan North II.
Oyeleye said the motion was in line with the state government’s Repositioning, Restoration and Transformation Agenda, and would encourage inputs from relevant civil society organisations, especially in the area of data collection.
The lawmaker called on the house to make it a matter of priority to organise public hearing ahead of consideration of 2014 draft estimates.
“The budget belongs to members of the public who are tax payers; therefore, they must make input into its processing,” he said.
Earlier, the Speaker had directed the ministry of local government in Oyo State to ensure that all the 33 local government areas stop processing of all 2014 budget proposals until they get further directives from the house.