The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has stressed the need for stakeholders in the fight against corruption to take special interest in the tracking of the performance of budgets at various levels of government to ensure that projects and programmes are delivered to the benefit of the people.
This was the highpoint of deliberations Tuesday, October 21, 2014 in Gusau, Zamfara state, at the start of a two- day Budget Monitoring and Tracking workshop organized by the Commission for civil society organisations and the media.
Osita Nwajah, deputy director, public affairs who represented the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde said the workshop is part of the prevention mandate of the EFCC, aimed at ensuring citizen’s participation at all levels of budget processes for better service delivery.
In her address, the Head Enlightenment and Reorientation Unit, Aisha Larai Musa said the aim of the workshop is to build the capacity of participants to effectively and efficiently participate in budget making and implementation process for better service delivery.
“The EFCC believe that once citizen understands budgeting, they will demand transparency and accountability in budget implementation and this will invariably reduce sharp practice and poor service delivery”, she said.
In his goodwill message, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Rini, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Zamfara State, who was represented by Alhaji Inuwa Lawali Tsafe, Director Local Government Matters, disclosed that the state was impressed with the performance of the EFCC and has decided to emulate the agency by setting up an anti-corruption agency to fight corruption.
He commending the EFCC for being the only government organization to hold a workshop on budget monitoring which, he believes, will assist in bringing greater transparency in the conduct of public affairs.
Also speaking, the managing director, Gamji Television. Alhaji Aliyu Adamu commended the EFCC, while emphasizing that citizens have a duty to participate in the implementation of budgets.
Other resource persons, urged participants as well as the public to constructively engage their governments and demand for transparency, accountability and citizen’s participation in the budget making process.
Media & Publicity
22nd October, 2014
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