The Sokoto State Government says it will periodically engage traditional rulers to identify community needs and guide development partners’ interventions in the state.
The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Development, Dr Bashir Muhammad-Achida, disclosed this on Friday at the 2027 Budget Town Hall Discussion for Sokoto East Senatorial District, held in Wurno Local Government Area.
He said the initiative would be coordinated by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Development, which is responsible for driving the state’s economic development and coordinating development partners’ activities.
According to him, the initiative aims to ensure that development partners’ interventions address the actual needs of target communities while preventing project duplication and misplaced priorities.
Muhammad-Achida said Gov. Ahmed Aliyu had revamped the ministry to enable it to effectively discharge its mandate.
He described the town hall engagements as crucial to the budget process, noting that citizens’ inputs would help shape the state’s development priorities.
The commissioner also commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union (EU) for their interventions in the state.
In his remarks, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Buhari Umar, urged participants to articulate the needs of their respective communities for consideration in the budget process.
Umar expressed delight at the large turnout and enthusiasm of participants, including representatives of traditional institutions, community leaders, civil society organisations, youths, women and persons with disabilities.
He announced that a grand finale would be organised to present the views gathered during the zonal engagements and obtain further inputs to fine-tune the process before a draft 2027 budget was submitted to the state executive for consideration.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state and Chairman of Tambuwal Local Government Area, Abba Shehu-Tambuwal, commended Gov. Aliyu for approving the initiative.
In his goodwill message, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad-Abubakar, represented by the District Head of Wurno, Kabiru Chigari-Alhassan, commended the state government for recognising the role of traditional institutions.
Earlier, the Chairman of Wurno Local Government Area, Abba Sadiq-Achida, commended the state government for executing development projects across the local government areas.
Other speakers included the Special Adviser on Economic Planning, Abdullahi Ango Jabo; chairmen of local government areas in the Eastern Zone; and representatives of persons with disabilities and women’s groups, among other stakeholders.
Ashenews reports that the ministry has been engaging stakeholders across the state’s senatorial districts through town hall meetings to identify priority needs for inclusion in the proposed 2027 budget.
The final draft of the budget will be presented to the state executive for consideration.
