Kogi Assembly seeks collaboration of CSOs for enhanced legislative skills, good governance

By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.

KOGI State House of Assembly has has called on Civil Society Organisations operating in the state to collaborate with the House for enhanced legislative skills that guarantee accurate, effective and efficient legislation for attainment of good governance.

Jacob Sam Olawumi (APC-Mopamuro), Chairman House Standing Committee on Appropriation, Economic Planing and Budget Monitoring made the call at the public hearing on the 2024 appropriation bill with the critical stakeholders at the Assembly complex on Wednesday in Lokoja.

Olawumi said the committee was vested with the responsibility of analyzing and making recommendations on the state income including allocations from the Federation Accounts and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) among others.

He urged critical stakeholders including the CSOs to pool their wealth of experience together towards actualizing an all-inclusive 2024 budget that stands to benefit the entire state.

Olawumi noted that the 8th Assembly has been very passionate about public participation in lawmaking processes to bridge the gap between the government and the people.

In his presentation, Mr Idris Miliki, Executive Director, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) urged the various committees to take a critical look at the perennial issue of Recurrent Expenditure getting higher allocations than Capital Expenditure.

The habitual practice of prioritizing Recurrent Expenditure over Capital Expenditure, he said, would rather place the state in a stagnant position with little or no development.

Also in his submission, Mr Hamza Aliyu, Executive Director, Initiative for Grassroots Advancement in Nigeria ( INGRA) advised lawmakers to make contingency plans for eventualities especially, emergency such as economic recession.

He also urged House to make budgetary provision for reticulation of Greater Lokoja Water Scheme adding that the House should provide for the scheme to generate millions of gallons of water per day and end the city’s perennial water crisis.

The Public Hearings and defence of budgets by various Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs at the Kogi House of Assembly has commenced following the presentation of the Appropriation Bill to the House on Monday by Governor Yahaya Bello. (Ends)