Effective Public Spending: ANEEJ, NAPTIP, Journalists, Lecturers, Others Meet, Strategize In Benin

Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ yesterday host town hall meeting with journalists, lecturers and other civil societies with representative of Edo state government and NAPTIP to present 2019/2020 Edo state government budget implementation report on education as well as to fine tune ways for effective budget monitoring and implementation.

In a welcome address, ANEEJ Executive Director, David Ugolor thanked Swiss government for the financial support to carry out the budget implementation/monitoring project.

ANEEJ in its finds noted that the Edo State House of Assembly have more to do in carrying out its oversight function of budget monitoring and implementation.

ANEEJ also called on the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki to increase its budgetary allocation in the education and health sectors, adding that such will curb illegal migration in the state.

Excerpts:

Welcome address by ANEEJ Executive Director, Rev David Ugolor, at ANEEJ THM in Benin City to discuss the Report of Budget Monitoring in Education Sector of Edo State.

An Address of welcome by the Executive Director of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, Rev. David Ugolor, at the Town hall meeting to discuss the Report of Budget Monitoring in the Education Sector of Edo State.

At ANEEJ Secretariat, 39 Oyaide Avenue, GRA, Benin City on December 3, 2020

Protocol
It gives me great honour and pleasure to welcome you all to this town hall meeting to discuss the Report of Budget Monitoring into the Education Sector of Edo State.

This event is part of the implementation of activities under ANEEJ’s “Tackling human trafficking through advocacy to increase investment on human capital development and civic engagement in Edo State.”

The aim of the event is to present the report findings to the public to activate citizens’ action to project monitoring.

It is also aimed at increasing the oversight function of government and other relevant stakeholders to the implementation and completion of human capital development projects in the state.

The goal of the project is to improve the knowledge of Citizens, media and Policy Makers around the issues of good governance and Open Budgetary processes that support civic engagement.

With increase in transparency in public spending there will be more investment in education and the health sector which will help address the current poor funding associated with public spending across Nigerian States.

In line with project’s goal, ANEEJ commissioned a research on corruption-Migration Nexus and created a platform for policy dialogue with relevant stakeholders.

We organized a press conferences and held a public presentation of the report to relevant stakeholders for their inputs into the process. The project also ensured the training of CSOs, Media, Academia and citizens on Human Capital Development, Anti-Corruption, Budget Monitoring and Tracking.

The feedback from these events have been quite reassuring.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, EndSARs protest and other security challenges experienced in the state, the monitoring exercise only covered few projects in the Education sector as against the initial plan to monitor other human capital development interventions in the state.

Education is one of the key components in human capital development as captured from the 3-day training.

Hence, the monitoring exercise covered the implementation of Edo state 2019/2020 budget.

The findings from the report are based on the implementation of the 2019/2020 Edo state Government budget.

A total of 20 projects were assessed in the three senatorial districts of the state.

14 of the projects assessed have been completed, 5 on-going and 1 project yet to commence.

There are a couple of recommendations contained in the report for Government and State House of Assembly.

The law makers need to step up their oversight role.

The Executive Arm of Government should adequately mobilize contractors to site to enable them complete projects allocated within the contractual time frame.

CSOs, Media and citizens and large should always engage government to ensure regular monitoring of projects to forestall projects abandonment.

Lastly, we call on the Edo State Government to increase its interventions in the Education and Health sectors in subsequent budgets as a way to curb illegal migration.

I want to appreciate the Swiss Embassy for the funds provided ANEEJ which has made it possible to convene this event.

I thank you all and wish everyone fruitful deliberations.