В Нигерии inaugurирован новый исполнительный комитет по контролю за бюджетом с целью повышения прозрачности госрасходов

The Civil Society Budget Implementation Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (CBIAMEC), Nigeria, has inaugurated its new executive members, pledging to intensify monitoring of government budgets and promote greater transparency and accountability in the management of public resources. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Abuja on Friday, the newly elected National Coordinator of CBIAMEC, Comrade Patrick Ogheneyero, said the new leadership would prioritise effective utilisation of public funds and ensure that government budgets translated into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians. Ogheneyero described his mandate as a call to service, accountability, integrity and collective action, stressing that the success of a budget should not be judged solely by what is appropriated but by what is actually implemented and the impact on citizens. He said CBIAMEC would promote evidence-based budget assessment, monitoring and evaluation, citizen participation, transparency and accountability across the country. According to him, the committee would scrutinise whether appropriated funds were released and properly utilised, whether projects were executed according to specifications and whether the intended beneficiaries received the expected benefits. “These are not political questions. They are questions of responsible citizenship and googovernance,” he said The National Coordinator listed grassroots monitoring, evidence-based reporting, citizen engagement, transparency and accountability, capacity building, and the use of technology and data among the major priorities of his administration. He said budget monitoring must go beyond offices, conferences and reports to the communities where government projects and programmes were being implemented. “Budget monitoring must not remain confined to offices, conferences, or reports. We must take monitoring to the communities where government projects and programmes are being implemented,” Ogheneyero said. He added that the organisation would strengthen collaboration among civil society organisations, community leaders, professional bodies, the media, academia, development partners and relevant government institutions. Addressing the committee’s relationship with government, Ogheneyero said CBIAMEC was not established to fight government but to strengthen accountability and improve governance. “CBIAMEC is not established to fight government. We are established to strengthen accountability and improve governance,” he said. He explained that the organisation would acknowledge and commend good performance, objectively identify implementation gaps and make constructive recommendations while maintaining its independence. “Where citizens’ interests are being neglected, we must speak responsibly but courageously,” he said. Ogheneyero said the committee would pursue constructive engagement, evidence-based advocacy and principled accountability rather than unnecessary confrontation. Earlier, the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Comrade Ofomhi Christopher, said the inauguration was more than the installation of a new executive, describing it as a renewal of civil society’s commitment to transparency, accountability and responsible management of public resources. Christopher said CBIAMEC had an important responsibility to monitor government programmes and projects, assess their implementation and evaluate their impact on citizens. He urged the newly inaugurated executive members to regard their positions as a call to service rather than privilege. “I therefore urge the incoming Executive Members to see their appointment not as a position of privilege, but as a call to service,” he said. Christopher also challenged the committee to move beyond monitoring for documentation and ensure that its activities resulted in measurable improvements. “When a school is captured in the budget, we should be interested in whether the school was actually built,” he said. He added that the same scrutiny should be applied to allocations for healthcare, roads, water, security and social development to determine whether public expenditure was producing value for money. The organising committee chairman further called for stronger collaboration between CBIAMEC, government institutions, the National Assembly, professional bodies, development partners, the media and other civil society organisations. “Effective accountability is stronger when stakeholders work together while maintaining their independence and integrity,” he said. Ogheneyero also called on civil society organisations across Nigeria to regard CBIAMEC as a platform for collaboration rather than competition, noting that the scale of the challenges facing the country required coordinated efforts. “The challenges before our country are too significant for fragmented efforts. We need to work together. We need to share information, strengthen our networks, coordinate our interventions, and build a stronger national voice for transparency and accountability,” he said. The new leadership pledged to uphold integrity, transparency, fairness, professionalism, inclusiveness and accountability in the discharge of its responsibilities. Ogheneyero said he would listen, consult and collaborate with stakeholders while encouraging constructive criticism in the interest of strengthening the committee. He stressed that the ultimate objective of CBIAMEC was not to embarrass government institutions or individuals but to ensure that public resources delivered value to Nigerians. “The ultimate objective is not to embarrass any institution or individual. The objective is to ensure that public resources deliver public value,” he said. The committee called on its members, partners, state and local structures and Nigerian citizens to support the new leadership in strengthening public finance accountability and helping to close the gap between government budgetary promises and what citizens actually receive.