Activist ties bad governance to faulty budget process

MANY of the problems and challenges that countries face are most directly addressed through government’s budget process, the Coordinator, African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Dr. Otive Igbuzor, has said.

The activist, who spoke in Asaba yesterday at the presentation of the analysis of Delta State budget (2007-2014), explained that the government might crave quality education for its children by passing a law requiring that they be enrolled in school, he stressed that if the budget doesn’t include funds to build schools, hire and train teachers as well as provide schoolbooks, there will be little chance of the enrolment requirement resulting in the desired outcome.

Igbuzor said that it was why it is so critical to engage in the budget process.

“Budget advocacy, when it is most effective, combines two key elements. The first is budget analysis, the capacity to secure budget information, analyse it and explain its implications in clear and compelling ways. The second element is strategic advocacy, the ability to get the word out about a campaign, mobilise the public and reach out to policymakers and other stakeholders, ” he noted.