• Abia Government begins consultations ahead of preparation of the 2027 budget.
• Government says citizens’ input will shape priorities in its final budget cycle.
• State may have less revenue available in 2027 based on current economic assumptions.
• Citizens are urged to prioritise projects with the greatest impact.
The Abia Government has begun consultations with residents and other stakeholders to determine priorities for the state’s 2027 budget.
The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Kingsley Anosike, disclosed this on Thursday at a Citizens’ Engagement Forum at the Aguiyi Ironsi Conference Centre in Umuahia.
Anosike said the consultation was intended to ensure that the budget reflected the needs and priorities of residents, particularly as 2027 would be the final budget cycle of the current administration.
He said the government would use the views gathered from the consultations to determine the projects and priorities to include in its final fiscal plan.
The commissioner said the budget would not be prepared solely from the perspective of government officials without considering the people who would be affected by its implementation.
“We do not want to go into a room and build a budget that does not speak to the needs of the people we serve.
“That is why His Excellency, Dr Alex Otti, has mandated that we invite you, a cross-section of the public, into this kind of forum.”
Anosike said the forum would also give government the opportunity to present its performance for the first half of the year and discuss its plans towards the 2027 budget.
He cited the redesign of the state’s latest batch of electric buses as an example of how previous consultations had influenced government decisions.
According to him, the government cancelled an initial order for 20 buses after stakeholders raised concerns about accessibility for persons living with disabilities. The subsequent buses were redesigned to include ramps.
THE ISSUES
- The 2027 budget will be the final budget cycle of the current administration, making the choice of projects and priorities particularly significant for the government’s remaining period.
- Revenue availability could constrain the state’s spending plans. Economic assumptions being used for the 2027 outlook suggest that Abia may have less revenue available than in the current year.
- The state is therefore asking citizens to moderate their expectations and place greater emphasis on projects capable of producing significant benefits.
- The consultation also raises the question of how effectively citizens’ recommendations will translate into actual budget allocations and projects, although the government has pointed to the redesign of electric buses as an example of previous public input influencing policy.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“We do not want to go into a room and build a budget that does not speak to the needs of the people we serve.”
Kingsley Anosike, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning
“We want to bring you up to speed on what we have done so far, meaning January to June this year, that is half-year scorecard, and then what we intend to do going forward to the build-up of the 2027 budget.”
COURTESY: BizWatchNigeria.Ng
