Borno State Holds Town Hall Meeting On 2020 Citizen’s Budget

Borno state Government has held a town Hall meeting aimed at collecting inputs that will guide the 2020 budget preparation towards meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the people of the state.

Speaking at the Town Hall meeting held at the International Conference Hall of Musa Usman State Secretariat Complex Thursday, the Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum said ," democracy is the government of the people , by the people and for the people."

"Therefore, our budget should be budget of the people by the people and for the people. Hence the need for this Town Hall to generate input from the ordinary members of the society.

” Our budget should be centred towards collecting and assessing the need of the people. We are gathered here to reinvigorate the people's participation in governance. Therefore, community participation in the budget process is important”.

” I directed the state ministry for Local Government and Emirate Affairs to liaise with the ministry of finance to come up with a clean budget for 2020 budget at the 27 local government areas of the state”.

He also urged the participants to cooperate with the experts so as to come up with a budget that will meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people at the grassroots, adding that his government is determined to meet the aspirations of the Borno electorates.

In his welcome address, the State Commissioner of Finance, Budget and Planning, Alhaji Adamu Zau Fanjumba Lawan said the purpose of the meeting was to bring stakeholders together to contribute to the generation of the 2020 budget.

”The 2020 budget should be owned by the people. I call on the people to express their needs and aspirations to form the 2020 budget tagged citizens ownership budget” Adamu said.

In his goodwill message, the Speaker Borno State House of Assembly, Hon Abdulkareem Lawan assured the people of accelerated passage of the 2020 budget when deliveredto the State Assembly.

He said ” The House will look at possible ways of improving the internal revenue generation of the state, as depending of federal allocation will not meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people”.

Also speaking, the representative of the persons living with disability, Malam Ahmadu Umar said in the past decades, people living with disability have been neglected until the present government brought them to the fore while commending the present government for giving them the opportunity to make their contributions in the 2020 budgets.