Anambra Holds Stakeholders Interactive Budget Forum
By Maureen Agbala
The Anambra State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning has held its 2024 Annual Budget Stakeholders' Consultative and 2024-2026 Medium-term Expenditure and Assumption Forum.
The forum, which was held in Awka involved the Traditional Rulers, Presidents General of communities, representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), other state and non-state actors, Non-Governmental Organizations, and all heads of non-ministerial departments/parasterals.
The Commissioner, Mrs. Chiamaka Nnake in her opening remarks said that the state is the second state in Nigeria to have an automated budget system after Kwara State.
She noted that the forum was to intimate the participants who had played a major role in the bilateral meetings on the priorities of the state government in the coming fiscal year.
The commissioner said that they would confirm from the meeting that the key deliverables were captured for 2024, reflecting the needs of Ndi Anambra.
She hinted that the feedback the ministry was looking out for, will align itself with the views of those who were gathered so that when the budget was presented by the governor to the State House of Assembly, he would be sharing the will and mind of Ndi Anambra.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Culture and Entertainment, Mr. Don Onyenyi said that his ministry would speed up all the projects in the sector such as the Solution Fun-City as well as other activities that would be geared toward promoting core Igbo values.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike in his contribution said that his ministry is targeting to consolidate the success in the health sector and that they are purposefuly ensuring that there is a General Hospital in each of the local government areas of the state.
Dr. Obidike added that the budget would also ensure that there is at least one Primary Healthcare Centre in all the wards in the state while the government would erect a Cancer Diagnosis Centre in the state which would increase the life expectancy of the people of the state.
The Traditional Ruler of Neni, Igwe Damian Ezeani in his contribution called for more attention to be given to the issues of security to enable Ndi Anambra to come home and invest which according to him would help to raise the internally generated revenue of the state.
He added that the state needs to have a high maintenance culture to improve the durability of the roads and other infrastructures in the state.
The Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry, Mrs. Stephanie Keri-Uzor, said that good budget preparation by the government depended largely on the stakeholder's efforts, expertise and imput.
She, then, commended Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the non-state actors for their participation and contributions in the bilateral discussion.
The PS maintained that the stakeholder's interactive meeting was in line with all the elements of good governance which include participation, inclusiveness, consensus, orientation, accountability, transparency and the rule of law.
A member of the Civil Society Organisation, Mr. Okey Onyeka advised that the government should use the budget to fulfil its campaign promises, especially the Community Choose-your-Project Initiative.
The Admin Secretary of the State Traditional Rulers Council, Mr. Donatus Orjika, commended the state government on the 1 youth 2 skills programme initiated by the Soludo administration, calling for a social reorientation unit for the youths so that they would know the negative effects of indulging and reviving idolatry as well as cultism.
*Agbala is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
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