Ten states including Adamawa, Zamfara, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno and Edo states provided no information for the public to be involved in the 2018 budget process. Other states include Imo, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers states.

This was disclosed at the unveiling of the Nigerian States Budget Transparency Survey organized by the Civil Resource Development and Documentation Center (CIRDDOC Nigeria) in partnership with DFID, UKaid and a consortium of Civil Society Organizations.

The report also showed that other states that provided scanty opportunities for the public participation index include Katsina, Kwara, Yobe, Kebbi, Ondo, Niger and Kogi states ranging from three to 10 percent.

Jigawa and Anambra states out of the 36 offered the highest public participation opportunities that are considered adequate in the 2018 budget process including making key budget documents available, public participation and procurement transparent.

Representing the Executive Director, Pascal Anozie said CIRDDOC developed the Nigerian States Budget Transparency Survey (SNBTS) to analyze how transparent, open, and participatory budget and procurement processes are in Nigerian states.

He said all 36 states were evaluated to see how much budget information was provided, spaces and mechanisms for public participation throughout the budget process, and how robust and transparent the procurement process is in the states.

He said the 2018 Index found that Nigerian states on average provided minimal information on the budget and procurement processes with limited spaces for public participation. The report also showed that the overall score improved by 3 points when compared to 2015 survey results organized by the same agency.

With an average score of 29 percent, it disclosed that most states don’t publish enough budget information, have limited spaces for citizens to be involved in the budget process, and provide minimal information on the procurement process.

“With a score of 87, Jigawa performs best on the Index. They provide citizens with extensive budget information, have effective mechanisms for public consultation throughout the budget process, and have an open and robust procurement process. Kaduna and Delta score above 60, meaning they provide significant budget information, spaces for public participation throughout the budget process, and significant information on procurement.

The majority of states score between 20 and 60, meaning they provide minimal to some information on the budget, few spaces for public participation, and limited information on the procurement process.

Thirteen (13) states have almost no budget information, non-existent spaces for public consultation, and opaque procurement processes” he said.

(Daily Trust)