BudgIT, one of the leading civic-tech civil society organizations championing transparency, accountability, and effective service delivery in Nigeria, has commended the Federal Government for taking a step toward transparency by publishing the 2024 proposed budget of Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs) in the country.
The CSO noted that the latest move by the government was partly in response to its several requests and that for the first time,it published the proposed budget for 62 GOEs on the Budget Office of the Federation’s website.
A statement by the organization’s Communications Advocate, Nancy Odimegwu, indicated the step came after BudgIT’s advocacy efforts, including an opinion article titled ‘2024 Budget: 10 Plagues President Tinubu Must Avoid’ published in August 2023, which urged the new administration to make the GOEs’ budget public.
Odimegwu also recalled that on December 11, 2023, BudgIT raised concerns about the absence of GOEs’ budget in the 2024 Appropriation Bill, drawing attention through another opinion write up titled ‘2024 Budget: Issues Begging for Attention.”
She stated: “As a result of this unprecedented feat, we commend the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning and the Budget Office of the Federation for heeding several calls made over the years by BudgIT and other civil society actors on the need for increased transparency in GOE operations.
“While disclosing the proposed 2024 GOEs’ budget is crucial in spotlighting these revenue-generating entities, further disclosure of its Approved Budget and previous years’ Budget Implementation Reports is vital to foster accountability.
“To this end, we urge the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning and the Budget Office of the Federation to continue in their effort to ensure transparency in the use and allocation of government resources. We anticipate that the Ministry will make public comprehensive details of the 2024 Approved Budget to keep citizens informed and empowered to engage with the government across all levels”, Odimegwu added.
