The Kaduna state government has become the first state government to make its public finances open to Nigerians by teaming up with civic start-up BudgIT.
Known in Nigerian online political circles for its infographic explainers on everything from state government budgets and the PIB to Nigeria’s debt profile, BudgIT helps ordinary Nigerians understand how public money is spent.
The organization’s push for government accountability has born fruit recently. Bukola Saraki, the Senate president, responded to the body’s #OpenNASS campaign by working to reduce NASS salaries and it is being approached by state governments like Kaduna.
In a statement made available to Naij.com, the Kaduna state government heralded this move as part of work to use civic tools to optimise efficiency.
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“The Kaduna state government has decided to work with BudgIT to design a platform which allows citizens to see the policies, budgets, procurement records and also status of fund releases in a single space. Citizens will be able to verify and monitor government’s progress using their mobile phones, and can report their feedback via the platform.
“We are delighted to enhance transparency and removing the cloak of secrecy that often sidelines citizens from informed knowledge of how public finances are mobilized and disbursed.”
BudgIT co-founder Oluseun Onigbinde said the initiative would help deepen citizens-government relations in line with the rising civic consciousness that is more demanding on state governments.
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“Citizens through organized online and offline campaigns are demanding accountability from sub-national government, and are asking deeper questions,” he said.
Onigbinde, however, disclosed that the project is expected to kick off within the next three months, with a rigorous, forensic analysis of the Kaduna state budget. And thereafter, infographics and online portals will be deployed to facilitate wider dissemination of public data to the masses.