Sani committed to citizens’ participation in budget process — Commissioner

<strong>The Kaduna State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to involving the citizens in the budget process,in line with the principles of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and Governor Uba Sani’s campaign promises.

The Commissioner for Planning and Budget, Alhaji Muktar Ahmed, made this known during a stakeholders’ engagement on the ‘Overview of the Kaduna State Budget Implementation Report for the first and second quarters of 2025′.

Ahmed said that community engagement was a central component of Gov. Ubs Sani’s campaign manifesto, stressing that the administration had continued to hold town hall meetings to capture the views of the public during the budget preparation stage.

“Kaduna was one of the first sub-nationals to sign the Open Government Partnership, which mandates citizen participation throughout the budget cycle,” he said.

Ahmed explained that the ongoing stakeholders’ forum was a continuation of that tradition and fulfilled both the Governor’s electoral pledge and the state’s OGP commitments.

“This edition is particularly unique as it is the first time children are being invited to participate. They also have a voice and deserve to understand how public funds are spent,” the commissioner stated.

Providing updates on the state’s fiscal performance, Ahmed disclosed that Kaduna State recorded an actual total revenue of ₦91.23 billion by the end of Q2 2025, while total expenditure stood at ₦89.20 billion within the same period.

He said the cumulative half-year budget performance amounted to ₦340.30 billion in revenue and ₦208.76 billion in expenditure, representing 43.1 per cent and 26.4 per cent performance against the 2025 original budget, respectively.

The commissioner also presented highlights of the draft 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).

Ahmed stated that the period would focus on increased investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, disaster risk management, and ecosystem restoration, alongside accelerated climate mitigation measures.

In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Planning and Budget, Alhaji Muktar Abdullahi, emphasised the importance of stakeholders’ contributions in the formulation of budget estimates.

The engagement session was attended by representatives of civil society organisations, women groups, persons with disabilities, the academia, professional bodies, students, and members of the media.