December 16, 2024
Policy Alert, a civil society organization dedicated to promoting fiscal and ecological justice in Africa, has called on the Akwa Ibom State Government to publish the 2025 Proposed Budget.
In a statement released today, following a review of the 2025 Proposed Budgets from states in the Niger Delta, Policy Alert expressed concern that Akwa Ibom is among the few states that have not made their proposed 2025 budgets public.
The statement, signed by Faith Paulinus, Programme Officer for Governance Reforms and Anti-Corruption at Policy Alert, emphasized the importance of transparency in the pre-approval stage of the budgeting process. “Citizens must have access to the draft budget provisions in order to analyze and provide informed recommendations. Without this, the final budget may end up reflecting only the interests of the political class,” he stated.
The organisation also noted that the current administration has reversed some of the transparency gains made under the previous administration, such as publishing the draft budget on the state’s website shortly after the Governor’s presentation to the State Assembly. “We first noticed this gap during the 2024 budget cycle, and it is unfortunately being repeated with the 2025 draft budget,” the statement noted.
The organization further stated, “This regression in transparency undermines citizens’ rights and ability to contribute meaningfully to the budget process. It may also explain why citizens were unable to make specific recommendations on budget items during the recent public hearing on the 2025 Appropriation Bill.”
Policy Alert called on the state government to promptly publish the 2025 Proposed Budget to allow citizens the opportunity to make their input before it is enacted. The organization also urged the publication of the 2024 Revised Budget, noting that citizens were still in the dark over the content of the revised budget, more than one month after implementation had commenced.
“Transparency in the budget process is crucial for ensuring that the interests of the people are adequately represented. The government must act swiftly to correct this gap, which threatens to roll back recent reform gains in the state,” the statement concluded
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Abasiama Cyril
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