From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
The Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), a UK-supported governance program has called for a sustainable relationship between government, Civil society organizations (CSOs) and donor agencies, in order to ensure that the interest of the citizens is always protected, as they defend citizen rights and work to change and uphold social norms and behaviours.
Ashiru Sani, the State Facilitation Manager of has called for the group, noted that CSOs monitor government policies and actions and hold government accountable, hence they are partners in progress with the government and donors.
He asserted this during a Two-Day Technical Session on the Development of Advocacy Brief and Strategy to Increase Community Development Charter (CDC) Influence and Performance in the 23 Local Government 2024 Budgets
According to him, CSOs in Kaduna state like any other engage in advocacy and offer alternative policies for government, the private sector, and other institutions, adding that they also help in delivering services, especially to the poor and underserved.
Ashiru stressed that this is more important at this point of time when the country is witnessing a transition at all tiers of government.
Ashiru stressed that sustainable relationship is very important to ensure that all gains, reforms that the Stakeholders faugh for are sustain.
He opined that the CSOs in Kaduna state must consolidate on the gains of the past and engaged the new administration to work with the directions, especially the Community Development Charter (CDC)
Speaking on” Understanding the Community Development Charter and Preparation for 2024 Budget process ‘Mr. Yusuf Goje harped on the need for sustained advocacy on citizen’s budget leveraging on Community Development Charter (CDC).
He explained that CDC is a is a written document containing the development needs of a community listed in the order of communal priority, as drawn up by all groups within the community.
Goje added that It’s a tool for citizens-state engagement and participation as it contains the representational needs of the community, gathered and compiled in an inclusive and participatory manner, to aid budgeting process, to ensure that budgeting process speaks to the communities’ needs.
He explained that participatory budgeting is a form of citizen participation in which citizens are involved in the process of deciding how public money is spent. Local people are often given a role in the scrutiny and monitoring of the process following the allocation of budgets and enshrine in the 1999
Constitution and a social accountability.
In his remarks, the Director of Planning, in Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission, Mr Badamasi Musa said the Commission will ensure that the Action Plan for 2021 to 2023 with five thematic areas addresses open budget, that ensure that budget speaks to people’s need; that the budget is transparent, and it addresses community needs, which is the yardstick for the CDC.
