.
By; MKPUMA ENYINNA, Abakaliki
Members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly have concluded the 2024 third quarterly budget performance hearing for priority MDAs with a pledge to ensure improved budgetary allocation and oversight in 2025.
The hearing organized by USAID State Accountability, Transparency, and Effectiveness (State2State) Activity at Golden Royale Hotels Enugu was held from Monday 23rd to Wednesday 25th September, 2024.
The quarterly engagement afforded the state lawmakers the opportunity to review the performances of the state budget implementation, especially in education, health, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sectors.
Declaring the hearing open, the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Moses Ije Odunwa thanked USAID State2State Activity for consistently building the capacity of the State lawmakers, which he said has helped them to effectively discharge their responsibilities. He attributed the success recorded in areas of oversight, monitoring and Improved budget implementation to the constant engagement of relevant Stakeholders through USAID State2State Activity.
Speaker Odunwa tasked various committees of the Assembly and heads of Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals to work towards closing the gaps identified and to ensure general improvement in all the sectors to achieve the Governor’s People’s charter of needs policy in the State.
“My advise to all the participants in this all important hearing is to take it seriously, so that we can close the gaps identified and ensure better budgetary allocation, implementation and oversight in 2025. This will help to achieve the State Governor’s policy thrust anchored on the People’s Charter of Needs”.
In his welcome remarks, the State Team Lead of State2State, Dr. Sam Onyia, appreciated the Speaker and members of the State House of Assembly, Heads of MDAs, CSOs and other Stakeholders for constantly responding to State2State Activities which is targeted at improving Government’s ability to plan and budget, raise revenues, increase responsiveness to citizens needs and priorities, manage conflict and oversee service delivery in the health, education, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sectors.
Dr. Onyia enumerated the importance of the public account committee hearing, stressing that it was expected that the State achieves atleast eighty (80%) percent budget performance in priority sectors, and lawmakers are very instrumental to achieving the target.
On their part, the Citizens Engagement Specialist of USAID State2State Activity, Munachiso Odulana, Habila Salem, and the Public Finance Manager, Mr. Chibueze Nwonye and Mr Hanila Salem who made presentations on review of the last quarter’s resolutions and Ebonyi State second quarter of 2024 budget performance in the priority sectors, observed that some units in Basic Education, Health and WASH sectors have shown improved capital expenditure, particularly in quarter two, while issues of overhead for some agencies could indicate potential challenges in project implementation.
In their separate speeches,the Chairman House Committee on Water Resources, Hon Mrs Chinyere Nwogbaga, her counterpart in Education ,Hon Aloysius Nwodo, that of Health, Hon. Mrs. Esther Agwu and in Public Accounts, Hon Chief. Godwin Abiri all said that the workshop has equipped them and would help them intensify efforts in carrying out their legislative and oversight functions.
In a closing remarks, the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedu Onah expressed worry that from the budget Performance review, some MDAs were unable to access appreciable percentage of their budget.
He described the budget review hearing as productive, and promised that the quarterly hearing would be sustained by the State Assembly.
Highpoints of the programme were discussions on budget performance findings, documentation of recommendations by the State House of Assembly Committees and development of action plans to implement the recommendations for improved budget performance in subsequent quarters.
