By Esther Akaa
Stakeholders in Nasarawa North Senatorial Zone have advocated for higher budgetary allocations in Women Affairs, Agriculture, and Education, among other vital sectors, to satisfy citizens’ needs.
The stakeholders, who represent various interest groups in Akwanga, Nasarawa-Eggon, and Wamba Local Government Areas LGAs of the state, made the advocacy on Friday during a town hall consultation on the citizens budget of the area in Akwanga LGA.
Speaking at the meeting, President, Market Women Association, Akwanga LGA chapter, Mrs. Hassana Sunday, urged the government to increase budgetary allocation in agriculture in order to provide farm inputs for farmers to increase their yields.
Sunday emphasized the importance of empowering women entrepreneurs by providing them with soft loans to grow their businesses.
She further called on the government to construct clinics in the newly constructed modern markets in the zone to provide medical services.
“The government should collaborate with financial institutions to open up banking centers in modern markets built across the state.
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“They should also organize workshops to train women on how best to grow our businesses,” she said.
Also speaking, the Secretary, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYC), Akolo David Alaku, appealed to the state government to open up rural roads to enable farmers to transport their farm produce from the villages to places of need.
Alaku called on the state government to contract skills acquisition centers, even though the state has already established four of these centers across the state to enable citizens to acquire knowledge.
He charged the state government to work together with the federal government to ensure the growth and development of the mining sector as well as reduce the activities of illegal miners in the state.
The NYCN Secretary also charged the government to prioritize the training and retraining of teachers, especially in primary schools, to improve the standard of education in the state and country at large.
He, therefore, called for increased budget allocation for the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development in order to address youth unemployment and reduce youth restiveness among youths in the state.
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Speaking separately, representatives of different tribal associations in Akwanga LGA, Adigizi Anzaku Ekomki and William Allu Vincent, both appreciated the State Ministry of Finance, Budget, and Planning for including their inputs in the 2024 budget, especially for renovating the Akwanga Youth Centre as well as constructing rural roads across the zone.
They therefore urged the government to provide basic facilities in the youth center to make it viable.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Finance Budget and Planning, Hajiya Munira Abdullahi, represented by Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Banking and Finance, said the town hall meeting was organized to ensure that the 2025 budget reflects the input and contributions from the citizens.
According to her, the World Bank, through the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability (SFTAS) Program for Results (P4R) and the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER), had urged states to adhere to a uniform protocol using various indicators such as transparency of the budgeting process.
“This program is designed to support Nigerian states in implementing a fiscal sustainability plan. All states are expected to execute public financial reforms in key areas, including increasing fiscal transparency and accountability, strengthening domestic revenue mobilization, enhancing efficiency in public expenditure, and ensuring sustainable debt management.
“It is crucial that the voices of the people are heard and incorporated into the state’s plans and actions. Engaging the citizenry in meetings like this is a vital step towards achieving this goal, as it brings in their inputs and supports the government in delivering quality services down to the grassroots,” she said.
The theme for this year’s consultation, “Citizens’ Engagement: A Veritable Means for Transformational Commitment,” drew participants from Akwanga, Nasarawa-Eggon, and Wamba LGAs who represented various groups and interests.
