From Yakubu Busari,Jos
The Plateau State government has vowed to leave an indelible mark in the lives of the people as it’s principal officials engaged its citizens at a stakeholders town hall meeting on budgeting process an Wednesday, urging them to participate in governance by monitoring projects executed in their domains.
The Commissioner Ministry of Budget & Economic Planning, Chrisanthus Dawam made this disclosure at the Crest Hotel venue for Town Hall Meeting with the six Local Government Areas of Plateau State in Plateau North Senatorial District.
He said the Governor Mutfwang administration’s seven focal point of the green cap policy thrust now includes; Good governance and citizens participation in sustainable development; peace, security and justice; revamping agriculture and rural transformation; education and human capital development; public health environment, tourism and mineral development; infrastructure and industrialization as well as taxation , resources mobilization and investment.
He charged the stakeholders to support and encourage in volunteer valuable inputs towards the achievement of the said goals, especially in the area of improving the internally generated revenue profile of the state and other intervention so that, ” our democracy does not end in the casting of votes but active even in governance.”
Dawam employed the Stakeholders that they expected to owned and monitor all the projects cited in their domains, having participated in the process through their valuable inputs .
According to him,”it is also worthy of note that the citizens engagement is in fulfilment of the requirement by the programme to enhance fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainable programme in preparing a budget that could add value in the lives of the citizens .
The Commissioner explained further that the administration had since demonstrated it’s commitment to the citizens by embarking on critical projects and programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of the citizens as evidenced in the holistic rehabilitation of roads across the state .
He said other areas such as prompt payment of workers salary arrears of workers, pension and gratuity , provision of fertilizer to farmers at subsidize rate as well as strengthen the security architecture of the state among other, are other dividends
He said, “as a government, we are fully aware of our responsibility to the citizens and will not relent despite all challenges but to remain focus and rise to the occasion .
” Government is aware of the economic hardship citizens are passing through as a result of fuel subsidy removal which translated to an increased in the pump price of petroleum products as well as the multiplier effect on the price of good and services.
” To this end, alternative measure are been intensified by government to ameliorate the negative impact ,but citizens need to exercise more patience,”he explained.
