Report ranks Jigawa high in budget transparency

A report released in Abuja on Tuesday by the Civil Resource Development Centre, an economic think tank, has ranked Jigawa as the best state in the Nigerian States Budget Transparency Survey 2022.

According to the report titled, ‘Trends in public finance management at the sub-national level’, Jigawa State scored 84 per cent to defeat Kano, Adamawa and Ondo States which scored 64, 63 and 61 per cents respectively among other 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The PUNCH reported that the survey brought out issues of transparency, participation and accountability in the budget and procurement process at the sub-national level in Nigeria.

The Executive Director of CIRDDOC, Ral Nwankwo-Obioha, said transparency was an important step to holding governments accountable on how they used public funds.

She said this led CIRDDOC to develop the Sub-National Budget Transparency Survey project.

Nwankwo-Obioha said it had the objectives of comparing the degree of budget transparency across states, promoting international best practices with regards to budgeting and budget process in the states, and inspiring and encouraging the spirit of ‘competitiveness’ amid states towards promoting budget transparency and government accountability.