Nasarawa Begins 2026 Citizens’ Budget Consultation, Seeks Grassroots Input
Government says citizens’ submissions will shape budget priorities as stakeholders demand greater transparency and accountability
By Suleiman Abubakar Rimi Uku
The Nasarawa State Government has commenced its 2026 Citizens’ Budget Town Hall Consultation in Lafia, with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning calling on citizens and stakeholders across the state to actively participate in determining development priorities.
The consultation, organised under the theme “Strengthening Citizens’ Participation, Transparency, and Accountability in the Budget Process,” brought together representatives of the 13 Local Government Areas, civil society organisations, community-based organisations, faith-based groups, women and youth organisations, farmers, people living with disabilities, the media and other stakeholders.
Declaring the consultation open, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Hon. Ahmed Yakubu Mohammed, said the exercise was more than a routine government programme, describing it as a demonstration of the administration’s commitment to citizen participation, transparency, accountability and inclusive governance.
According to him, a budget is not merely a collection of figures but a reflection of the needs of the people, including roads, schools, healthcare facilities, agricultural support, water supply and opportunities for young people.
The Commissioner disclosed that several projects suggested by citizens during the 2025 Citizens’ Engagement had either been implemented or were ongoing, including rural road construction and rehabilitation, potable water projects, agricultural interventions, educational infrastructure and healthcare facilities.
Mohammed said the experience demonstrated that when citizens provide credible information about the challenges confronting their communities, the government is better positioned to plan, prioritise and allocate resources.
He assured participants that all submissions made during the consultation would be reviewed and considered within the limits of available resources, government policies and the overall development priorities of the state.
He also encouraged civil society organisations, the media and other stakeholders to continue providing constructive criticism, stressing that factual criticism could assist the government in identifying areas requiring improvement.
“The budget is ultimately about the people. The government may prepare it, the legislature may approve it, and the ministries, departments and agencies may implement it, but its ultimate purpose is to improve the lives of the people,” the Commissioner said.
He subsequently declared the 2026 Citizens’ Budget Town Hall Consultation officially open.
Budget is no longer government secret — Permanent Secretary
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Isa Abdul Osama, said the consultation was organised in line with Section 3.1 of the Nasarawa State Fiscal Responsibility Law and the World Bank’s SABER requirement on citizen participation in budget preparation.
Osama explained that the process was designed to enable citizens to tell the government directly what they need rather than having government prepare the budget without adequate grassroots input.
He said, “Budget is no longer a government secret. Budget is your money,” stressing that the budget was ultimately designed for the citizens of Nasarawa State.
The Permanent Secretary said Governor Abdullahi A. Sule had institutionalised citizen engagement in the state’s budget process since the beginning of his administration in 2019 because of his belief that effective budgeting should reflect the needs of the people.
He said the consultation would also provide an opportunity to present the performance of previous budget provisions, receive criticism from citizens and identify priority areas for subsequent budget proposals.
Osama urged participants to speak freely about challenges affecting their communities, particularly roads, primary healthcare centres, water supply, schools, teachers and youth empowerment.
He assured the stakeholders that their submissions would be documented and considered in the budget preparation process before proposals are presented to the governor and subsequently transmitted to the State House of Assembly for legislative consideration.
Budget consultation takes sectoral approach
The Director of Budget in the Ministry, Atala Akolo Peters, said this year’s consultation would adopt a different methodology from previous editions.
He explained that participants would be divided into sectoral groups covering areas such as education, health, agriculture, youth empowerment, women empowerment, employment and economic development, security, water and the environment.
According to him, the sectoral groups would discuss specific challenges and identify practical interventions required from government before nominating representatives to present their recommendations during the plenary session.
Peters said the approach was intended to ensure that the views of citizens were properly captured and translated into realistic budget priorities.
He noted that while the state had previously conducted consultations across the three senatorial zones, the 2026 exercise was being held at a central location because of prevailing circumstances.
The Director also said the consultation would review ongoing projects and achievements of the present administration while identifying areas requiring further attention.
He urged participants to make constructive contributions that could help address challenges confronting the state rather than aggravating them.
Peters disclosed that the process would include technical presentations, plenary discussions, questions and answers, sectoral group sessions, government responses and the adoption of a communiqué.
He added that rapporteurs would document the proceedings, while representatives of civil society organisations, the media, religious bodies and relevant associations would participate in producing the final communiqué.
He said the ultimate objective was to produce recommendations capable of adding value to the state and improving the lives of its citizens.
