INGRA urges Kogi Govt. to allocate more resources to other ministries in 2024 Budget

A Non-Governmental organization, Initiative for Grassroots Advancement, (INGRA) has charged the Kogi State Government to stop allocating huge amount of money to Government house and Governor Office in its annual budgetary allocations, but rather, put more funds to other ministries to attract development in the State.

Our Kogi State Correspondent reports that the Executive Director of INGRA Hamza Aliyu gave the charge weekend at a bi-monthly meeting for the State Level Advocacy and Legislative Advocacy in Nigeria by Nigeria Civil Society Situation room in partnership with Initiative for Grassroot Advancement in Nigeria.

Aliyu, who, lamented that Government house and Governor Office is not generating anything revenue for Kogi State admonished the incoming administration to channel much money to other ministries to attract meaningful development in the State.

According to him, the objective of the meeting is to increase citizen participation in the legislative processes of the State and to perform a review of the Kogi State 2023 budget and to chart a course of engagement on the 2024 Kogi State budget with the legislative and Executive arms of Government of the State.

"The bi-monthly meeting is to find a way to strengthen the existing relationship between citizens and their elected representatives in Kogi State. It is also to look at issues around the 2024 budget and review the 2023 budget with a view at looking at an acceptable modalities in the allocation of resources for the  2024 budget. 

"A review of the 2023 State Budget showed that there was a heavy sided focus on recurrent expenditure, to the detriment of the needs of citizens. The Administration Sector has consistently gotten the large chunk of the State Appropriation despite not been a revenue generating agency. Water, Sanitation, Housing, Transport, Women and Children issues, Disability issues, Agriculture and the Environment, were identified as areas that benefit citizens directly but are poorly allocated resources in the budget. 

"However, it is very worrisome that the Kogi State Government is allocating billions of naira to Government house and Governor Office that is not generating any revenue for the State. To our greatest dismay, the yearly budget allocated to this two office is nine times bigger than money allocated to some ministries. 

"The people of Kogi State are yearning for good. This can be achieved when the Government are responsive to the plight of the Citizen by channeling their tax payers money to what will change their lives for good and not lavishing it on something that is grossly irrelevant like what we are experiencing in Kogi State".

Aliyu emphacized that, the State budgeting process has always majorly been a bottom top approach, with little or no inputs from citizens adding that, bills and motions by elected members of the House are mostly without inputs from their constituencies.

Also speaking, the Executive Director, Conscience for Human Right and Conflict Resolution, (CHRCR) Comrade Idris Abdul Miliki condemned the outrageous budgetary allocation to Government house and Governor Office in Kogi State.

Continuing, Miliki said "If you look at those budgetary provision and the way and manner it is being expended, Government House and Governor Office it is condemnable and something needs to be done urgently to stop this.

"Those things that are done in Government house are not usually known but done in secrecy. Unless the citizens are made to know what is happening, it will continue to be like that. I think the media needs to support Civil Society in exposing budgetary provision and expenditure of Government house and Governor Office. 

"What is the difference between Government house and Governor Office? It is a question we have been asking. If you look at the recurrent expenditure of the Government house every their are repeatitions. It is something that is very unfortunate for us that large sum of money is being budgeted for Government house and Governor Office why many ministries, department and agencies are suffering in the State".

He, however, admonished the Kogi State House of Assembly to monster that boldness to amend yearly budget from Government house and Governor Office by removing some money allocated to them to other ministries in the State.

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