By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
The Jigawa State Government has unveiled plans to enhance citizen engagement in the budgeting process and monitoring of government projects.
The initiative is part of its efforts to ensure that community interests and priorities are better reflected in the state’s development agender.
This announcement was made by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Yusha’u Muhammad Jaji, during an advocacy visit by Comrade Adam Sulaiman, the Jigawa State Project Officer for Connect Development (CODE), at his office in the state capital, Dutse.
Alhaji Jaji explained that it is now official policy for the government to gather citizens’ inputs annually, both before and during budget preparation.
This is achieved through town hall meetings and high-level budget discussions, where stakeholders extensively discuss the needs of project beneficiaries and where projects should be located.
To further promote citizen participation, the government has introduced NomTrack, a digital tool designed to improve community involvement in project execution monitoring. The tool is aimed at ensuring greater transparency, preventing project duplication, and fostering community ownership of development initiatives.
The Permanent Secretary noted that one of the challenges in project implementation has been the issue of project duplication, often arising from a lack of coordination between the government, donor agencies, development partners, and legislative constituency projects. He emphasized that many projects are sometimes initiated without proper consultation with the relevant government authorities, leading to inefficiencies.
He stressed the need for better coordination and communication between all stakeholders involved in the development process, assuring that the state government is working to address these challenges.
Meanwhile, Director General of the Jigawa State Due Process Bureau, Professor Kassim Muhammad, hinted about the bureau’s efforts to curb project duplication.
He explained that although some projects appear duplicated, they are sometimes phases or continuations of earlier initiatives.
The Bureau is working on improving its tracking system to avoid confusion and ensure clarity on project titles and locations.
Professor Muhammad also called for more community education, urging Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) like CODE to help enlighten citizens about their role in monitoring public projects. He highlighted the importance of ensuring accessibility for People Living with Disabilities (PWDs) in all public projects from the start, rather than retrofitting accessibility features after construction.
Earlier, Comrade Adam Sulaiman from CODE had informed the Permanent Secretary and the Director General about the challenges faced by NGOs and CBOs in budget and project monitoring.
These include issues such as project duplication, lack of provisions for PWD access, and the need for wider adoption of NomTrack to improve transparency in project execution.
The Jigawa State government’s new initiative reflects its commitment to improving governance, increasing citizen participation, and ensuring that development projects truly meet the needs of local communities.