As part of Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group’s commitment to protect democracy through an enduring civic space in Nigeria, the organization convened Nigeria’s Civic Space Protection Alliance in 2022. To strengthen the alliance towards sustainability, a two-day sustainability strategy meeting was organized by the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), with support from OXFAM in Nigeria at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State from Monday 18th September 2023 to Tuesday 19th September 2023.

The meeting was part of activities of the FAIR for All (F4A) Power of Voices Program being implemented in Nigeria by Oxfam through its strategic partners, including, the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG). The meeting was aimed at consolidating existence of Nigerian Civic Space Protection Alliance (NCSPA), as well as, mobilized different stakeholders into the alliance for democratic sustainability in Nigeria, human rights, and civic space protection.

Participants were drawn among stakeholders from selected members of NCSPA, NDEBUMOG’s affiliates and Think-Tank and other participants from Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, and Enugu state. The media was represented at this event.

Lead presentations from resource persons stimulated deliberations, discussions, and reflections on human rights situation in Nigeria and civic space issues around the country.

CONCERNS AND OBSERVATION:

1. That fiscal governance has become a tool used by successive governments in Nigeria that confuses citizens and make them vulnerable and docile in the face biting poverty.
2. That agency, such as, National Human Rights Commission created by law to protect human rights and civic space, as well as serve as remediating mechanisms for victims of human rights violations is systematically underfunded through poor budgetary envelopes.
3. In spite of huge amounts allocated to defence spending and security in Nigeria’s annual budgets, insecurity has continued to worsen across the country.
4. That, although, open civic space, human rights and democratic freedom are key pillars of democracy, civic space has continued to shrink in Nigeria, as voices of dissent are systematically repressed with impunity. Citizens are often subjected to all forms of intimidation and victimization for trying to exercise their right to freedom of expression, association, and to peaceful assembly, among others.
5. That media houses, are often, shut down and journalists hounded and harassed in a country, even when press freedom and freedom of expression are guaranteed in the constitution.
6. That although the legislature, through its oversight functions and other legislative duties have a duty to protect civic space, it has not lived up to this duty of protecting civic space, which is shrinking at an alarming proportion.
7. That a free or open civic space is a blessing to all, including those in authority, as it promotes inclusivity, minimizes suspicion, political mistrust, and creates an atmosphere for mutual political cohesion between demand and supply sides.
8. On the other hand, a shrinking civic state is a fertile environment for corruption and misgovernance. Such should be halted for the sustenance of democracy in our country.

RECOMMENDATIONS/ WAY FORWARD:

1. Considering the importance of human rights and civic space to the survival of democracy, as well as, the huge tasks facing Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, we call on the government to prioritize human rights/civic space protection in the country’s annual budgets and review upwards, the budgets to agencies saddled with the duties of protecting civic space and human rights, especially, the National Human Rights Commission in Nigeria to enable them carry out huge tasks of human rights protection and civic space watchdogging.
2. Government should take serious steps to end attacks on civic space protectors and ensure respect and promotion of human rights and rule of law. Incidents of civic space violations should be properly investigated, with state actors found culpable brought to book.
3. Citizens and CSOs, including the media, should not relent in asserting their rights to freedom of expression, democratic association, and peaceful assembly, among others, without fear of intimidation and oppression.
4. The media should continue to hold government to account, report violations and provide channels for citizens, including underrepresented and marginalized persons voices to be heard.
5. Government should call its agents to order and educate them about the importance of civic space protection, which is a democratic element that should be always respected.
6. Participants resolved to join forces with the NCSPA it its drive to ensure civic space protection, human rights, and democratic sustainability in Nigeria.
7. We say, NO TO COUPS IN AFRICA!

COMMENDATIONS

Participants expressed appreciation to NDEBUMOG and OXFAM and commended them for encouraging deepening of democracy in Nigeria and Africa. They called for more synergies, collaborations, and partnership in the fight against continued shrinking of the civic space in Nigeria and Africa.

The Organizers thanked participants for their commitment and charged them to be ready to defend human rights, civic space, and democracy always.

NDEBUMOG thanked royal fathers present, representative of national parliament, National Human Rights Commission, and the media for being part of the meeting and for their valuable contributions. Participants also congratulated members of the National Working Committee that emerged during the meeting, together, with members of the Board for the Alliance.

SIGNED:

1. High Chief (Dr.) George-Hill Anthony – NDEBUMOG
2. Onyeukwu Chiedozie Miracle – Karachi Rural Urban Development Initiative
3. Godday Nwafor – Okehi Youth Forum, Etche, Rivers State
4. Ugwu Anthonia Uzoamaka – Udi Shadow Budget Group
5. Stiv Obodoekwe-NCSPA

As part of Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group’s commitment towards empowering Nigerians through knowledge of extractive value chains, particularly, women and girls from extractive host communities, a two-day capacity building workshop was organized by the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), with support from OXFAM in Nigeria at Francines Place Hotel, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Wednesday, September 14th & Friday, September 15th, 2023.

The event was part of activities for the FAIR for All (F4A) Power of Voices Program currently at implementation in Nigeria by Oxfam through its strategic partners, including, the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG). The event was aimed at increasing the knowledge based of women in extractive value chain to enable them to tap economic empowerment opportunities from it.

Participants were drawn, among stakeholders, from several NDEBUMOG’s affiliates, alongside, other participants from Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, Enugu and Rivers state. The media was, equally, represented. Lead presentations from resource persons stimulated deliberations, discussions, and interaction during the event, with extracted projects and programmes of the Federal Government in appropriation 2023FY shared to participants, who were asked to look for projects and programmes that may impacts on them or their immediate communities and cluster themselves to track such projects and programs. Experience sharing by women that have participated in tracking of similar projects and programs in FY 2022 were also shared as encouragement to other women at the event.

Following presentations by experienced resource persons, experience sharing from budget trackers, discussions, and comments by participants, as well as good will messages by stakeholders, the following observations, were made:

1. That budget processes in Nigeria have continued to be exclusively for government officials, despite agitations and advocacies for inclusivity by civil society organizations. Citizens and civil society groups are often excluded from participation in the budget processes.
2. That projects and programmes meant for economic empowerment of citizens, especially, women of often included in government budgets, but citizens are hardly aware about these provisions, due to lack of access to budget documents by ordinary citizens.
3. That communities have remained underdeveloped, with citizens impoverished, despite developmental and empowerment projects that are always provided for every year in governmental annual budgets.
4. That there is lack of transparency around allocations to effective service delivery, just as billions are allocated to security. Yet, insecurity is unabated.
5. That although government have a responsibility to provide basic amenities and infrastructure, such as roads, power, education, health etc. Citizens are forced to provide these amenities for themselves, due to failure of government to live up to fiscal and governance responsibilities.
6. That women are often excluded from governmental structures, as well as, community governance executives, thereby, neglecting women to take part in what concerns our women.

RECOMMENDATIONS/ WAY FORWARD

1. Government should adhere strictly to budgetary provisions and should do proper needs assessment to ensure that citizens are involved in budget consultations and preparations. Mechanisms created by law to make budget participatory should be encouraged.
2. Budget documents and fiscal information should be made accessible to citizens as these information/documents are public information. Government should also put citizens friendly budget information on their websites to enable citizens to access them online.
3. Government should extract projects/programmes around clusters and print them in local languages for the citizens.
4. Women should begin to give attention to gender equity in the budget and should always endeavor to track public expenditure allocated to women, including, advocating for gender equity always.
5. Governments should wake up to their responsibilities by providing basic amenities and services, such as roads, power, education, health etc to reduce suffering and hardship on citizens, which is excruciating daily.
6. Participants resolved to embark on project monitoring as a way of holding government accountable on budgetary implementation, infrastructural developmental and on empowerment projects, as contained in governmental budgets.

COMMENDATIONS :

Participants were grateful to NDEBUMOG and OXFAM for the opportunity. They commended them for organizing the event and solicited for such opportunities to additional women and marginalized communities.

NDEBUMOG thanked all participants for their commitment and charged them to demonstrate knowledge they have acquired to their lives and immediate communities.

SIGNED :

Raymond Victor
Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group

Stiv Obodoekwe
Nigeria Civic Space Protection Alliance (NCSPA)

Joy Eze
For NDEBUMOG 30 Affiliates Women Shadow Budget Groups.

As part of NDEBUMOG’s strategic direction, especially, building alliances for women’s effective participation in economic activities in extractive value chains and protection of marginalized groups, NDEBUMOG, with support from Oxfam Novib, organized a one-day town hall meeting to form alliances on different thematic issues, particularly, marginalized groups, including women, budget trackers, community based associations, community based organisations, youth groups, persons with disability, among others. The program held at Southern Star Hotel & Towers, Eliada Estate, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Tuesday 21st February, 2023, with participants drawn from community stakeholders, women groups, media, NDEBUMOG” s affiliates, shadow budget groups, alongside, other participants from Akwa Ibom, Delta, Imo and Rivers state.

CONCERNS:

• Lack of equity nor fiscal justice on how beneficiaries of Federal Government’s empowerment programmes are implemented.
• Causes of gender injustices against women in Africa was put at the doorstep of men and some women.
• Nigeria’s fiscal indicators and business incentives favours men and effective approach to campaign against such is by the women to build alliances among themselves, promoting livelihoods and business innovations that are available through extractive value chains, while at the same time tracking public expenditures for fiscal intelligence against women marginalization that they could use to develop advocacy strategies.
• Most annual appropriations contain economic empowerment programmes for women and youths, ironically, such opportunities are not usually given to genuine beneficiaries.
• States and Local Governments, equally, have their empowerment programmes, though speculated to be aligned to political patronages.

RECOMMENDATIONS/RESOLUTIONS :

In view of the above, participants, recommended as follows:

• Many factors are against women’s economic inclusion in Nigeria, hence, the need for alliance building at coalescing women across marginalized clusters to pursue a common goal. FAIR’s global thrust is to empower women and seek for responsive ways of doing business by extractive industry companies.
• Gender equity was considered as a matter of mutual responsibility for both men and women but with the men having a herculean responsibility, in view of unbalanced equity scale that has heavily tilted against women in Africa by factors caused by men.
• Government at all level was mandated to make economic opportunity equitably accessible by all citizens, especially, women.
• The need for alliance building at coalescing women’s interest across marginalized clusters to pursue a common goal should not be downplayed by women. FAIR’s global thrust is to empower women and seek for responsive ways of doing business by extractive industry companies. This is something the Nigeria’s government should encourage.

CONCLUSION:
Participants pledged to track projects and programmes that are targeted at women’s empowerment. They equally agreed to promote alliance building for common objectives for women in society.

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM in Nigeria for organizing the training that provided participants an opportunity to enhance their knowledge on value chains and women economic empowerment.

Signed :

High Chief (Dr) George-Hill Anthony- Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group.
Mfon Bassey- Shadow Budget Groups.
Dated 21st February 2023.

A one-day capacity building on the use of Follow the Money Model for economic empowerment through extractive value chain was organized by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) with support from OXFAM in Nigeria on Friday,3rd February, 2023 at Um-Neak Hotels, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital. The capacity building was part of Fair 4 All Power of Voices (PVP) activities for Nigeria as assigned to NDEBUMOG through a work plan for year 2. NDEBUMOG is among Oxfam’s strategic partners that are implementing F4A program in Nigeria. The training was aimed at empowering participants with skills and knowledge of advocacy for economic empowerment through extractive value chain and budget tracking to enable them embark on real time tracking of economic empowerment using follow the money model.

Participants included community stakeholders, women groups, media, NDEBUMOG affiliates/shadow budget women groups, among others from Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, Enugu and Rivers states, among others. Presentations focused on issues of economic empowerment for women, advocacy for fiscal inclusion through extractive value chain, budget monitoring/tracking and follow the money model, among others.

CONCERNS:

• Communities, especially, extractive host communities are often excluded from participating in economic empowerment, which are mostly hijacked by political stooges and people with connections.
• Budget conceptualization, preparations, defence, enactment, implementation, monitoring, tracking, evaluation and audit are all done without the communities or intended beneficiaries, Communities are rarely aware of when processes starts, talk less on how to participate in the fiscal chain.
• Women needs are hardly reflected in the budget nor comprehensive needs assessment are done. Where such are reflected, such allocations are hijacked by framers and drafters of budgetary proposals that are mostly men.
• Although federal government budget often contains livelihood and economic empowerment projects and opportunities for communities, especially for women and youths, such opportunities are usually not utilized for the benefit of target beneficiaries due to lack of awareness nor access to the budget document.
• That in spite of efforts by CSOs and development agencies to reduce inequality gaps in the society and improve living condition of citizens, the situation has continued to worsen as the government seems to be deliberately churning out policies aimed at impoverishing citizens, such as the ongoing fuel price hike and the cash confiscation.

RECOMMENDATIONS/RESOLUTIONS :

From the foregoing, participants, recommended as follows:

• Governments at all levels should consciously ensure the participation of citizens and CSOs in the budget processes. The processes should be opened up.
• Stakeholders at the community levels, civil society organizations, and government agencies with monitoring and evaluation responsibilities, should begin to take their duties of monitoring/tracking of budget seriously. There is need for inclusive and effective monitoring of projects implementation.
• Budget and other fiscal documents should not only be made accessible to communities, but there should be deliberate efforts to create awareness for communities, especially, women about various livelihood and economic empowerment opportunities that exist in the budget to enable them access such opportunities for poverty reduction, economic empowerment and fiscal equity.

CONCLUSION:
Participants resolved to begin to monitor and track projects and programmes implementation in their localities henceforth. They further urged citizens to make good use of their PVCs during the 2023 elections to bring about positive and meaningful change in the society.

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM in Nigeria for organizing the training that provided participants an opportunity to enhance their knowledge on value chains and women economic empowerment.

Signed :

Obodoekwe Styvn- Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group.
Udoka Oriaku- Shadow Budget Groups.
Dated 3rd February 2023.

The Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), with support from Oxfam in Nigeria, organized a two-day capacity building through mobilization of women into knowledge based to understand extractive value chains, being an essential ingredient for tapping inclusive economic opportunities in extractive value chains, among others. The training was organized in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital on Monday, August 29th and Tuesday, 30th August, 2022. The event was part of F4A’s year 2 activities, being implemented by Oxfam in Nigeria through its strategic partners, including, NDEBUMOG.

Participants were drawn from stakeholders from selected NDEBUMOG’s affiliates, shadow budget groups, women groups, budget monitors and community women, among others. Presentations and discussions centered around economic opportunities through extractive value chains, agriculture, public budgets, monitoring, tracking, among others.

CONCERNS/OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS :

Following facilitations, deliberations and discussions on fiscal issues, participants, expressed concern over unabated insecurity in the country. Adding, that the burden of insecurity falls heavily on women. Participants call for the overhaul of security systems and apparatuses and urged the government to do more to guarantee security of persons and properties.

Participants expressed concern that government expenditures, including, revenues realized through taxation that deprived citizens’ opportunities of using their monies the way they want, have not brought benefits to citizens. Participants lamented that government expenditures should be geared towards addressing needs of citizens and delivering development democratically as expected.

Participants express concern that although there are extractive and agricultural value chains with expenditure heads in annual budgets, with livelihood and economic inclusion opportunities for women. Lamentably, such opportunities, are often hijacked by well placed politicians, who often, shares such opportunities among themselves. Participants urged the government to ensure that value chain opportunities meant for women are accessible by community women, instead of such, being hijack by politicians and cronies of those in power.

Participants demand that the civic space should be made conducive for democratic growth to blossom, emphasizing that such is essential for democratic sustainability.

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and Oxfam for the opportunity provided by this training, as the opportunity to participate was an eye-opener., they said!

For : Communique Drafting Committee

• Priscilla Kufre Ibanga
• Mary Ndifreke Enang
• Lucy Joseph Okon
• Rosanna Bright
• Unyime C

As part of Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group’s commitment in empowering Nigerians through knowledge, especially, women and NSAs through building of alliances for civic space protection, deepen demand for accountability for consolidation of Nigeria’s democracy, a Two Day Civic Space Protection Forum (CSPF) was organized by the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), with support from OXFAM in Nigeria at Francines Place Hotel, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Monday, July 18th & Tuesday,19th July, 2022.

The forum was part of activities of the FAIR for All (F4A) Power of Voices Program being implemented in Nigeria by Oxfam through its strategic partners, including, the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG). The forum was aimed at emplacing a collaboration between Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Groups, affiliates of NDEBUMOG and Nigerian Civic Space Protection Alliance (NCSPA), as well as, mobilized different stakeholders into the campaign for human rights and civic space protection. Participants were drawn among stakeholders from the government, NDEBUMOG affiliates and others from Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta and Enugu state, as well as, representative of government, among others.

Lead presentations from resource persons stimulated deliberations, discussions and reflections on human rights and civic space situation in the Nigerian society.

OBSERVATIONS / CONCERNS / RECOMMENDATIONS:

Following deep reflections on issues of governance, democracy, accountability, inclusivity, shrinking civic space, human rights, alliance building, non violent struggles, among others, participants expressed concerns about the following:

• There is lack of inclusivity, openness, accountability and transparency in governance at all levels in Nigeria.
• Government, often, pays deaf ears to non-violent agitations and often respond with violence/suppression, instead of dialogue. ASUU strike, which is a universally accepted form of peaceful agitation, has lasted for some months, without any serious concern by the government. Collective bargaining is a democratic engineering process that ASUU and government must embrace.
• Participants expressed worries and concerns over deliberate and desperate efforts by the government of Nigeria at all levels to close the civic space in the country through its actions and inactions, such as, censorship, stalking of activists, gagging of press freedom, failure to guarantee safety and security, etc, just to make it impossible for citizens to demand accountability and good governance.
• Peoples’ voices are systematically being stifled as a way of enforcing silence, thereby, forcing citizens to live in fear and suffer in silence, rather than encourage ventilation of voices against bad governance. State actors should not forget that Nigeria is a party to the African Charter for Human and Peoples Right, alongside, UN charters, conventions and protocols, which Nigeria voluntarily endorsed. Suppression of voices in a democracy is an invitation to mobocracy, which is unhealthy for democratic growth and sustainable development. Government should, therefore, encourage freedom of expression always.
• Insecurity has continued to skyrocket and government is not doing enough to arrest the situation. From government’s inaction and body language, many are tempted to be confused, if the government does not trust informative facts from the state media that is familiar about the fact on lives of Nigerians becoming cheap by each day, with thousands, already murdered by terrorists and bandits these past years.
• Hunger, unemployment, high costs of living, have continued to ravaged the society, subjecting citizens to extreme and unbearable hardships, with many, being forced to indulge in unimaginable means of survival, such as, scavenging on refuse dumps, scooping of petroleum products, drugs hawking, while the government carries on, as if, all is well and normal.
• Participants demand that government of Nigeria, should end, forthwith, the siege on civic space and ensure that, people, enjoy their fundamental rights to express their minds at all times. Freedom of expression, peaceful protests and assembly, are fundamental human rights as guaranteed by the constitution of the FRN and other human rights frameworks and instruments, which form basis for democratic governance.
• Peaceful agitations, such as, strike and other forms of nonviolent agitations are legitimate forms of expression. Therefore, we call on the government to begin to pay attention to peaceful agitations, instead of responding with disdain and yet reward violence through amnesty and “prisoners swap”. Government should listen to the agitations of the university lecturers currently on strike. So that, students could go back to school to save our future generation from intellectual depreciation. At the same time, ASUU should gauge the quality of intellectualistic returns among its members, against recycling of expired/outdated templates for studies that translates into poor quality from governmental educational investments. Both parties (government and ASUU) should balance their interest.
• Participants raised concern that citizens are still being excluded from budgetary processes. Access to budget information or fiscal documents are often denied to citizens. Citizens and CSOs, including women, should be consciously encouraged to participate in budget processes at all levels.
• Efforts should be made by governments at all levels to ensure that governance is inclusive. Participation in governance by citizens, including, women and other marginalized groups. Cultures, traditions, policies and practices which encourages human rights violations/abuses should be halted and be eradicated.
• Government should stop excessive increase in taxes and borrowing, which wields unbearable pressures, not only on citizens, but also on the economy. Instead, Government should begin to cut down its bogus expenses, especially, in political offices, which make the national budget bogus and over bloated even when majority of the citizens are suffering.
• Participants resolved to continue to make efforts towards protection of civic space in order to ensure the growth of Nigeria’s democracy.

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM in Nigeria for organizing the forum, which provided them opportunity to enhanced their knowledge on issues of human rights and civic space protection, among others. Additional members of Nigeria Civic Space Protection Alliance (NCSPA) that were inducted during the program pledged to be ambassadors of human rights protection for inclusive democratic growth in Nigeria.

Members of the Communiqué Drafting Committee;

1. Umo Isua-Ikoh
2. Helen Brian
3. Stiv Obodoekwe
4. Barr. Ebere Chikezie

As part of Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group’s commitment in empowering Nigerians through knowledge, especially, women and NSAs through deepening of understanding about human rights, building alliances for civic protection, demanding democratic accountability and consolidation of Nigeria’s democracy, a retreat was organized by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) and Nigeria Civic Space Protection Alliance (NCSPA), with support from OXFAM in Nigeria at Francines Place Hotel, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Monday, July 15th & Tuesday,16th July, 2022. Nigeria’s Civic Space Protection Alliance (NCSPA) was formally unveiled during this event.

The retreat was part of the FAIR for All (F4A) Power of Voices Program, which is in implementation in Nigeria by Oxfam through its strategic partners, including, Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG). The retreat was aimed at deepening knowledge about human rights, democratic governance and induction of pioneer members into Nigeria Civic Space Protection Alliance (NCSPA) to enable the members have deeper reflections on issues of governance, accountability, inclusivity and civic space protection.

Participants were drawn from stakeholders across NDEBUMOG 26 affiliates/shadow budget groups, representatives from Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Enugu state. Lead presentations from resource persons stimulated deliberations at the retreat.

OBSERVATIONS / CONCERNS / RECOMMENDATIONS:

Following deeper reflections on issues of governance, democratic sustainability, accountability, inclusivity, civic space protection, human rights observation, inclusive fiscal governance, alliance building and nonviolent struggles, among others, participants endorsed as follows:

1. Inclusivity and human rights protection, particularly, with respect to women is a far cry from the standards in developed democracies. Participants expressed concern over lack of openness, accountability and transparency, which are part of what makes democracy unique.
2. Peoples’ voices are systematically being suppressed, forcing many to live in fear and prefers to suffer in silence, instead of raising their voices against bad governance.
3. Insecurity has gotten to a feverish situation, making many to live in fear, with psychological upheaval that is not helping mental health of many.
4. Hunger, unemployment, inflation and high cost of living is ravaging the society, resulting in extreme hardship that needs a rejigging in poverty reduction measures, such as, conditional cash transfer schemes, economic and fiscal incentives that will benefit the poor, bridging social gaps and reduces economic and social inequality.
5. Participants demand that budget and fiscal processes, should be made an inclusive process and enabler for social stability and economic justice.
6. Civil society groups and citizens, including, women are encouraged to show interest on issues that affects them, especially, concerning monitoring and tracking of programs/projects that are contained in budget documents of Local Government Areas, States and Federal Government, including, that projects of interventionist agencies, like the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, among others. Participants were encouraged to begin to modalities in place for the monitoring of the implementation of the 3% Petroleum Industry Act’s Host Communities Fund when the implementation begins. Participants demand enabling environment to allow women easy and smooth participation in the PIA’s host communities fund.

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM for organizing the retreat, which provided them an opportunity to enhanced their knowledge on issues of civic inclusion, shadow budget model, budget monitoring and evaluation, human rights observation and civic space protection, among others.

At the end of the retreat, 65 participants, were inducted into Nigeria Civic Space Protection Alliance, who expressed commitment to take the issue of protection of civic space and human rights seriously. Nigerian Civic Space Protection Alliance was unveiled during this event.

Members of the Communique Drafting Committee;

For Shadow Budget Groups;

[1] Faith Udo [2] Unyime Nathan [3] Ekaete Udondatta

For Nigeria Civic Space Protection Alliance;

A One Day capacity building workshop on women’s inclusion through the implementation of the 3% Host Communities Fund as provided in the PIA, 2021, was organized on Friday, July 8, 2022 by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), with support from OXFAM in Nigeria at Southern Star Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

The meeting was part of NDEBUMOG’s 30% campaign for women economic inclusion in the implementation of the 3% PIA’s Host Communities Fund embarked upon by the organization with support from Oxfam.

The event was aimed at building capacity, knowledge and understanding of selected host communities’ stakeholders on how to identify economic and livelihood opportunities in the extractive sector, particularly, through enablement of the Petroleum Industry Act. Part of the objectives of the training was to create awareness for participants concerning the 3% Host Communities Fund and to encourage them to be part of the campaign.

Participants at this event were drawn from stakeholders in the civil society, the media, NDEBUMOG’s affiliates and communities from Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers and Bayelsa state. Lead presentations by resource persons formed the basis for deliberations.

OBSERVATIONS / CONCERNS / RECOMMENDATIONS:

Participants expressed concern that in spite of previous interventions in the Niger Delta, such as, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Amnesty Program, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, and Niger Delta Basin & Rural Development Authority (NDB&RDA), among others, there are no impacts or measurable infrastructural revival in the oil producing region. This, they noted is because of lack of inclusion, programmatic reconciliations, needs assessment and exclusion of Niger Delta people, especially, women in such interventions. Equally, citizens’ inability to demand accountability has contributed to poor democratic returns in the Niger Delta.

Participants noted that aggravated environmental pollution caused by decades of oil exploration in the Niger Delta has placed extra burden on sustainable income and livelihood for families in the Niger Delta region, especially, on women, who bears greater burden for care to their families.

Participants observed that women are the most affected by pollution on sources of livelihood, domestic water use, including ponds and rivers. Therefore, participants called for the inclusion of women in the implementation of the 3% PIA’s Host Communities Fund, noting that women are better placed to achieve the objectives of supporting local initiatives through socioeconomic opportunities that the PIA’s Host Communities Fund envisages.

Participants called on the government to ensure that host communities women are included in all strata to be set up to implement the Host Communities Fund, saying, women equally have the constitutional right to participate in governance.

Specifically, government should ensure that appointments into the Trust for the fund and other appointments should consider 30% composition for women. Also, appointment into Host Communities Management Committees should consider 30% composition for women, while capital funds for host communities should be equitably distributed to favour women and men, equitably.

Participants resolved to be part of the 30% campaign, including, monitoring the implementation of the 3%, when it begins.

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM for organizing the capacity building, which provided them an opportunity to enhanced their knowledge on issues of Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act, especially, as it relates to the 3% Host Communities Fund and inclusion of women.

Signed:
Obodoekwe Stiv – Monitoring & Evaluation Advisor, NDEBUMOG Headquarters.
Princess Egbe – Operation Rescue, Bayelsa State
Raymond Victor – NDEBUMOG Affiliates

A one-day supplementary capacity building for mobilization of marginalized groups, particularly, women, and other stakeholders for budget tracking and formation of shadow budget groups was organized by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), with support from Oxfam in Nigeria at Southern Star Hotels and Towers, Port Harcourt on Thursday 24th of March 2022.

The event was part of the Fair 4 All-Power of Voices Program, being implemented in Nigeria by Oxfam through its strategic partners, including, Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG). The event was a supplementary activity aimed at building capacity and knowledge of participants on budget monitoring and tracking through the shadow budget model. This was to enable participants to demand accountability, effective service delivery and understanding/identification of economic opportunities in government’s budget through extractive value chains. Participants were drawn from communities, civil society organizations, the media, NDEBUMOG’s affiliates and other stakeholders from Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Delta, and Rivers state.

OBSERVATIONS / CONCERNS / RECOMMENDATIONS:

Following (consolidated) presentations on issues of budget monitoring, shadow budget model, civic space, and economic opportunities for women, especially, through extractive value chains, among others. Factors below were paramount at the event:

The shrinking civic space in Nigeria and attempts by the Federal Government to restrict the civic space, which is considered repressive and suppressive against the citizens is of serious concern. Freedom of expression was emphasized as a democratic essentiality that must be respected by operatives of State. Freedom of expression, non-violent protests, peaceful assembly, among others, being guaranteed human rights necessities that are inalienable in line with democratic freedom globally should be respected by all tiers of government across Nigeria.

Participants were excited about announcement on the conceptualization of Nigeria Civic Space Protection Alliance (NCSPA) by NDEBUMOG in 2021 and set for unveiling to civil society stakeholders and the public in 2022.

Fiscal inclusion was emphasized as a process that should be extensive and not an exclusive right for government operators alone, even as budget information or fiscal documents, should no longer be treated as secret documents. All tiers of government should consciously encourage citizens, including women’s participation in budget processes, from conceptualization, formulation, defence, enactments to implementation’s tracking, monitoring, and evaluation.

Women should be encouraged to participate in governance through gender and fiscal equity. Cultures, traditions, policies, and practices, which limits women participation in governance at all levels, should be eliminated or be expunged.

Government should bridge inequality gaps through poverty reduction policies. A situation, where the poor get poorer and the rich, getting richer could be a reason why many Nigerians are struggling for daily survival without time to pay attention to fiscal situations around them, such as, attending budget defence sessions and tracking of public expenditure. Therefore, economic opportunities that could empower the citizens, especially, the women through fiscal architecture with a gender equity mirror should be promoted by government.

Extractive host communities should use the recently enacted Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to empower women economically by allocating 30% of the 3% captured in the PIA to women. Equally, appointment of Board of Trustees across “the trust” encapsulated in the Act, should consider 30% composition for women. Appointment into Host Communities Management Committees should consider 30% composition for women. Capital funds for Host Communities should be equitably distributed. Whilst matrix for distribution of “Trust Funds” should be technically structured to equitably benefits men and women. Fund managers, executive members, and advisory committees to be appointed through the PIA should be made up with 30% consideration for women. Each Host Communities’ needs assessment should be developed through gender neutrality for economic empowerment of women across host communities in Nigeria.

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and Oxfam in Nigeria for organizing the event. Participants requested for more of such opportunities towards deepening their knowledge and skills about fiscal governance.

Issued in Port Harcourt on Thursday 24th of March 2022 & signed by:

• High Chief (Dr) George-Hill Anthony
  Chief Executive Officer- Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group.
• Comrade Pius Dukor
  President-Pius Dukor Foundation

In line with NDEBUMOG’s mission of mobilizing and empowering community members, especially, women and other marginalized groups for demanding accountability from public office holders, a One-day Citizens Awareness Creation Forum on Federal Government’s Private Sector Policies was organized by the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) on Friday, 28^th January 2022. The Forum was organized with support from Oxfam in Nigeria as part of the Power of Voices (PVP) Fair for All (F4A) program. The event took place at Umneak Hotel, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The event aimed at exposing participants to government’s private sector policies and programmes, including, understanding how these policies can contribute to sustainable livelihood, economic opportunities to citizens, especially, women through extractive value chain. Participants at this event were drawn from private sector players, community stakeholders, youths, women groups, as well as selected affiliates of Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group.  Facilitation methodology at the event was blended through paper presentations by resource persons, plenary interventions, discussions, comments, questions, and responses from facilitators.

Among presentations and activities at the forum were:

• Influencing module through alliance building.
• Introduction to public budget and fiscal mechanics through evolving envelopes for private sector value chains.
• Catalogue of FGN’s private sector policies and related connectors of some policies to extractive value chains for economic empowerment of the citizens.
• Participatory discussion on private sector policies and opportunities that empowers Nigeria’s public, especially, women.
• Inauguration of some shadow budget groups.
• Introduction of participants to Petroleum Industry Act’s 30% Campaign for empowerment of women, an advocacy program by NDEBUMOG.

• There are no proper “needs” assessment in conceptualization, formulation, and execution of budget by the government. Budgetary processes are done to the exclusion of citizens, including women. Therefore, the to make budgetary and fiscal processes was emphasized.
• There are lots of unrealistic and unnecessary items captured in government budget at the detriment of essential needs of the masses. This contributes to the over bloating of the budget, which government often resort to borrowing to finance over bloated budgets.
• Private sector policies and social investment programmes geared towards poverty alleviation and massive job creation seems supercilious and hardly impacts positively on lives of common masses, especially, women.
• Some social investment programmes and policies by the Federal Government are laudable. However, there is need for proper sensitization of citizens and adequate monitoring in the implementation processes of these policies, particularly, empowerment programmes. This is to equip citizens, especially, women, with information that will enable them to key into opportunities provided through these programmes.
• The needed growth in agricultural production and non-oil sectors cannot be achieved because of insecurity, which is compounded by unemployment across the country.
• For change to take place, women should be encouraged to participate in economic activities through policy incentives and legal framework, such as the Petroleum Industry Act. CSOs should also begin to embark on awareness programmes around government policies and programmes to enable citizens, especially, women key into the opportunities for economic growth.
• The 30% campaign in the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act, being promoted by NDEBUMOG should be adopted by host communities, including, Nigerians, generally.
• No country can develop with aggravated level of insecurity such as Nigeria. Therefore, government needs to tackle the menace for national stability and economic growth.

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and Oxfam for the forum, saying, it was an eye opener. They requested a forum like this, should be held frequently.

Adopted in Uyo on Friday, 28^th January 2022, with signatures below by members of the communique drafting committee on behalf of participants.

Signed :
Ekaette Joseph Udondata – (Abak Shadow Group)
Ike-Woko Confidence – (Rumuobiokani Community)
UnyimeUduak Nathan – (Essien Udim Shadow Group)

PREAMBLE:

In line with NDEBUMOG’s drive to ensure transparency and accountability in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, pushing for derivable benefits from extractive wealth for our communities. The Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group, (NDEBUMOG) Regional Accountability Centre, organized, a one-day capacity building workshop through support from OXFAM in Nigeria, which was to enhanced young people fiscal governance understanding, together, with women and girls in host communities awareness on extractive value chains, fiscal advocacy and how young people can leverage on the Follow the Money model to demand accountability and economic opportunities through extractive value chains. Dignitaries and participants were drawn from NDEBUMOG’s affiliates, Government, civil society organizations and communities from the Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers state.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

Issues bothering on how young people can build alliances, fiscal transparency, Follow the Money model as a tool for budget tracking and economic empowerment of women, especially, girls were discussed and deliberated at the event.

Commencing, Henry Ushie of Oxfam Nigeria was to set the stage by lamenting, that, the civic space in Nigeria is shrinking, hence, young people, should build synergies to ensure the shrinking civic space is halted. High Chief (Dr) Anthony George Hill, the Executive Director of NDEBUMOG underscored the role of a transparent fiscal mechanics for ensuring improved economic gains and democratic opportunities.

Evelyn Williams and Ubong Ekpe shared how the Follow the Money model works for projects implementation at the National and sub- National levels.

There was a formal inauguration of NDEBUMOG’s Shadow Budget Groups quasi-executives for Uyo and Uruk Anam chapters in Akwa Ibom state.

OBSERVATION & CONCERNS:

Following facilitations, deliberations and interventions on issues discussed, participants, observed and raised the following concerns.

1. Unreachability of the budgets and technicalities not simplified for the understanding of young people is a serious concern.
2. Political sensitivity and volatility around matters of budget transparency, accountability, and inclusion, especially, at the sub national level calls for concern equally.
3. Shrinking civic space and attacks on freedom of speech, are among factors, dwindling democratic growth. It weighs heavily against social freedom, citizens’ alliances and demands for accountability through Freedom of Information legislation, OGP and voluntary disclosure.
4. The Petroleum Industry Act has not been simplified for easy understanding by extractive communities and by the public, generally!
5. Youths has not been empowered to be able to track projects and follow the money for community development, infrastructural growth, and democratic consolidation.
6. Concerns were expressed about widespread corruption in Nigeria and gaps on mobilization of young people through communal clusters against corruption.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Young people should download Budget of Akwa-Ibom State (aksbudgetoffice.org) and others, including, the Petroleum Industry Act and study the document to guide their understanding.
2. Government should simplify the budget and make it accessible to all citizens.
3. Young people should overcome intimidation, psychological and social fears that are associated with fiscal governance. Notwithstanding, young people should be sensitive to security climate within their environment and communally maneuver such gyratory through team spirit and communal solidarity.
4. State governments should domesticate the Freedom of Information Act to allow easy access to information on projects implementation, monitoring, tracking, evaluation, and beneficiary assessments.
5. Government at all levels should cease attacks on the civic space, unban Twitter and allow unrestricted ventilation of ideas and association among citizens, which is a democratic right.
6. Civil society groups should continue to build capacity of young people on fiscal governance and non-violence processes for democratic inclusion.
7. Peace is essential for sustainable development and democratic growth. Young people at the event were urged to be law abiding and should be willing to protect Nigeria’s democracy for a prosperous future, irrespective of the challenges of today.

Dated 13^th December, 2021 @ Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

Signed:

1. High Chief (Dr). George-Hill Anthony-CEO, Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group
2. Henry Ushie-Oxfam in Nigeria.
3. Evelyn Williams-CODE’s State Lead, Rivers State.

A one-day fiscal governance round table for alliance building with regional bodies and stakeholders for protection of civic space and consolidation of Nigeria’s democracy for good governance was organized by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) with support from OXFAM in Nigeria. The event was held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state on Thursday 26^th August 2021.

The meeting was part of Oxfam’s Fair 4 All Power of Voices Program (PVP), being implemented in Nigeria with support from Oxfam in Nigeria, through Oxfam’s strategic partners, including, NDEBUMOG. The event was aimed at promoting alliance building, capacity, and knowledge of participants on methodology and influencing module for good governance and protection of civic space.

Participants were drawn from stakeholders from Nigeria Labour Congress, civil society organizations, the media, NDEBUMOG affiliates and other stakeholders from Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Delta, Imo, and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja). Presentations from resource persons formed the basis for deliberations.

Following deliberations on issues of strategic influencing, fiscal mechanics, good governance, value chains, alliance building, protection of civic space and non-violence struggles, among others, participants adopted as follows:

• Local communities hardly have access to budget documents and other fiscal information that should facilitate demand for accountability, monitoring and tracking of projects to their communities. Government at all levels, was called upon, to ensure fiscal information, especially, budget, and other materials that promotes communal inclusion be made available to citizens always.
• Budgets should be sensitive, responsive and should not be bloated. Budgets should address needs of the communities and pro-poor in line with the needs of communities. It should fiscally be structured on closing inequality gaps.
• Government should consciously encourage citizens, including women’s participation in the budgetary processes at all levels.
• Genuine and concrete inclusivity of citizens and communities is lacking, same as lack of openness, accountability, and transparency, which are what makes democracy unique.
• Insecurity has become a major problem facing the country. It is fueled by joblessness and inadequate measures by government to tackle the menace.
• Participants called on the government to articulate a national policy on value chains development, including, streaming/structuring some aspects of economic value chains for the empowerment of women.
• Participants urged government to deepen economic reforms to improve business through regulatory environment.
• Participants noted that for Nigeria to improve livelihood of citizens, government, should encourage citizens to participate effectively and optimally in the global value chains and encourage citizens and businesses to develop capacity and upgrade quality standards (e.g: safety requirements & other certifications) for credible outputs, among others.
• Participants expressed concerns over deliberate efforts by government to close the civic space in the country through its actions, pronouncements, bills sponsorships, et al, just to make it impossible for citizens to demand accountability and good governance.
• Participants demand that government of Nigeria should stop and withdraw all actions, existing or proposed policies and pronouncements meant to repress or suppress citizens’ voices or threatening of lives of citizens for ventilating their voices, which is a democratic right.

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM for organizing the roundtable, which provided participants opportunity to enhanced their knowledge on fiscal processes, democratic inclusion, human rights, among others.

Adopted in Uyo on Thursday 26^th August 2021.

ADEKUNLE CHARITY
SIMEON UGOCHUKWU
ROSEMARY JUMBO
STIV OBODOEKWE

BACKGROUND:

A one-day Town Hall Meeting on citizens mobilization and alliance building among marginalized groups, particularly, women, and for formation of shadow budget groups was organized by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), with support from Oxfam in Nigeria.

The meeting was part of the Fair 4 All- Power of Voices Program, being implemented in Nigeria by Oxfam through its strategic partners, including, the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG). The meeting was aimed at building capacity and knowledge of participants on budget tracking/monitoring, using shadow budget model as a tool for effective demand for accountability and good governance. Part of objectives of the meeting was to form (women) shadow budget groups and equip them with necessary skills for budget monitoring, as well as, connecting women with livelihood opportunities for economic empowerment.

Participants were drawn from stakeholders across civil society organizations, the media, NDEBUMOG affiliates from Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, Cross River and Enugu State. Other stakeholders were drawn from the FCT, among others. Lead presentations from eminent resource persons formed the basis for deliberations during the meeting.

OBSERVATIONS/CONCERNS/RECOMMENDATIONS:

Following deliberations on issues around shadow budget models, budget monitoring, alliance building, nonviolence struggles for inclusive governance, among others, participants endorsed concerns and recommendations below:

• Budgets at all levels are treated as secret documents by some States and Local Governments in the country against the fact that budget is a public document.
• Several budget line items in (government) budgets are usually over bloated with items or expenditures that hardly connects with needs of communities.
• There is absence of inclusivity in governance processes, including, lack of openness, accountability, and transparency, which are part of what make democracy unique.
• Government, often, pays deaf ears to non-violent agitations and whereas, responds inappropriately to non-violent agitations against the tenets of democracy.
• Participants expressed concerns over deliberate and desperate efforts by the government of Nigeria to close the civic space through (proposed regulatory) actions, pronouncements, bills sponsorships, et al, being actions that will hinder citizens appetite for good governance and accountability.
• Participants demand that government of Nigeria should stop or withdraw all its actions, pronouncements that are meant to repress or suppress citizens’ voices.
• Participants reechoed the importance of freedom of expression, protests, peaceful assembly, which are fundamental human rights guaranteed by the constitution and other human rights covenants and instrument, which forms the basis for democratic governance and social etiquettes.
• We demand that government SHOULD STOP responding to peaceful protests through uncivilized methods, since peaceful protests and other forms of non-violent agitations are democratic legitimacies.
• Government should consciously encourage citizens, including women’s participation in budget processes at all levels.
• Governance at all levels should be inclusive for citizens, particularly, women and other marginalized groups. These groups should be encouraged with economic opportunities through extractive and agricultural value chains, among others. Cultures, traditions, policies, and practices limiting women’s participation in governance at all levels should be eliminated or expunged.
• The gathering equally highlighted the importance of states leveraging on to the World Bank’s transparency incentive for budget publications.
• Participants are worried that CSOs are excluded from participation in fiscal processes despite constitutional provisions for inclusion.

CONCLUSION:

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM for organizing the meeting and the opportunity provided to enhance their knowledge on issues of shadow budget model.

Issued in Port Harcourt on the 12^th of August 2021.

Stiv Obodoekwe- Port Harcourt Shadow Budget Group

George Ukaegbu-Media

Victoria Okokon- Women’s Representative

Henry Ushie-Oxfam in Nigeria

Dr. George-Hill Anthony-CEO, Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group.

A ONE day capacity building for mobilization of marginalized groups, particularly, women, and other stakeholders for budget tracking and formation of shadow budget groups was organized by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), with support from OXFAM in Nigeria at Umneak Hotels, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State On Thursday, July 8, 2021.

The forum was part of the Fair 4 All PVP Project being implemented in Nigeria by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group, with support from Oxfam through its strategic partners, including, NDEBUMOG. The event was aimed at building the capacity and knowledge of participants on budget tracking/monitoring through the shadow budget model. This is to enable participants to demand accountability and effective service delivery.

Participants were drawn from sub national government, civil society organizations, NDEBUMOG’s affiliates and other stakeholders from Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Rivers and FCT. There were presentations from eminent intellectuals, which formed the basis for deliberations.

Following deliberations on issues of budget monitoring, shadow budget model, civic space and economic opportunities for women, especially, through livelihood, agricultural and extractive value chains for women, among others, participants agreed as follows:

The NG–CARES programme supported by the World Bank, which is billed to commence in August 2021 is a welcomed development. The programme is aimed at supporting vulnerable groups, especially, women farmers and other affected groups from the effects of COVID-19 Pandemic. Government, through implementation of the NG-CARES programme, should ensure that women farmers, especially, at the community levels are able to access NG-CARES. Women farmers should be equipped with adequate capacity, knowledge, and information to enable them to participate effectively in the NG-CARES programme.

Participants were worried about attempts made by government of Nigeria to close the civic space through its actions, pronouncements, proposed bills to parliament and intolerance to criticism, no matter how constructive. These, among others, negates on the citizens passion to demand accountability, tension easing and democratic sustainability.

Participants demand that government of Nigeria, should halt, and withdraw all civic space closure actions, pronouncements meant to repress or suppress citizens’ voices and should see freedom of expression as a democratic essentiality. Freedom of expression, non-violent protests, peaceful assembly, among others, are guaranteed human rights. Citizens, must, equally avoids factors that fuels violence and democratic instability.

Participants raised concern that fiscal processes are conducted as an exclusive right for government alone, even as budget information or fiscal documents are treated, as highly classified secret materials, especially, at the sub national level.

Government should consciously encourage citizens, including women’s participation in budgeting processes, from conceptualization, formulation, defence, enactments to implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and tracking.

Women should be encouraged to participate in governance through gender equity. Cultures, traditions, policies, and practices, which limits women participation in governance at all levels should be eliminated or be expunged.

Participants noted that Nigeria will not acceleratedly develop in agriculture, without meaningful participation of women in the sector. Government, must therefore, encourage inclusive agro policies and schemes that farmers, especially, women, will have the opportunity and access through an inclusive agricultural supply chains-engineering by government.

Government should bridge inequality gaps through poverty reduction policies to reduce inequality gaps, that is, the poor getting poorer and the rich, getting richer. Women are the hardest hit by this inequality gap. Participants noted that the main reason for this inequality gaps is because few persons may have hijacked the resources of the country…

Participants recommend that fiscal architecture should be tailored towards addressing the issue of income redistribution for women massive economic empowerment, as a strategy to lift millions of women out of the poverty trap, close inequality gap and amplify women voices.

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM for organizing the event, which provided women opportunity to enhance their knowledge and capacity in understanding the shadow budget model.  They requested more of such opportunities towards deepening their knowledge and skills.

Dr. George-Hill Anthony-CEO, NDEBUMOG.
Glory Uko-Enin-Ikot Ekpene.
Ene Okoho-Calabar.
Faith Udoh-Uyo.
Henry Ushie-Oxfam Nigeria.

A two-day Advocacy Roundtable on Civic Inclusion, Budget Monitoring, Transparency, Accountability, Gender Inclusion and Alliance Building was organized by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) with OXFAM in Nigeria on Thursday, July 1st and Friday, July 2nd, 2021 at Um-Neak Hotels, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state. It was a part of the Fair 4 All Power of Voices (PVP) Project, being implemented in Nigeria by Oxfam through its strategic partners. The Roundtable was aimed at building the capacity and knowledge of participants on fiscal processes and inclusive budgeting to enable them to participate in budget monitoring/tracking, promote gender inclusion and advocate for an enduring civic space in Nigeria.

Participants were drawn across NDEBUMOG’s partners, government functionaries, and civil society organizations within F4A-PVP’s catchment states of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Imo and FCT.  Officials from NDEBUMOG’s affiliates in Enugu and Bayelsa state were equally invited. Eminent intellectuals, private sector experts and critical stakeholders made presentations during the event.  Presentations focused on critical issues for democratic inclusiveness, approaches for non-violence civic inclusion, transparency, budget monitoring/tracking, and sub-national approaches for civil society budget work, etc.

OBSERVATIONS/CONCERNS:

Following deliberations on issues of budgeting processes, options for inclusive democracy, human rights, civic space, and fiscal processes, among others, in Nigeria, participants observed and raised concerns below:

• Citizens and CSOs, to a large extent, are excluded from participating in budget processes despite constitutional provisions. Inputs and needs of communities are hardly included in the budgets.
• Some developmental projects do not have envelopes attached to them or funds released for implementation, thereby, making implementation impossible. This contributes to poor budget performance.
• Lack of effective monitoring of projects, often, leads to unnecessary projects’ abandonment.
• Gender discrimination in governance is a hindrance to sustainable development and is prevalent in our society.
• Government is systematically closing civic space, thereby, making it difficult and risky for citizens to demand accountability, good governance, and respect for human rights.
• Principles of budget discipline is lacking, manifesting in poor budgetary performance.
• Budget is an Appropriation Act and a public document. It should be made accessible, as obtaining budget information in many LGAs is difficult.
• Inequality gaps is widening, with the poor getting poorer, whilst the rich are getting stupendously richer.
• Some CSOs and communities lacks the skills to participate in budgeting processes, including monitoring.
• CSOs should apply a non- violent approach in engagements with government for inclusive democracy.
• Nigeria government has always budgeted for deficit, though this may appear inevitable in the present situation of the nation, government’s need to redesign innovative ways of financing its budgets to avoid perpetual budget deficit.

• Fiscal entities should consciously ensure citizens and CSOs inclusion in the budget processes through entire fiscal chain.
• Stakeholders at the community/local government levels, civil society organizations, agencies with monitoring and evaluation responsibilities, should wake up to their duties. Fiscal entities should begin to synergize with CSOs and communities for inclusive and effective monitoring of projects’ implementations.
• Government should find innovative ways of financing its budgets to avoid over dependence on loans and other means that mounts unbearable pressures on impoverished citizens.
• Since budget document is an Act of parliament, violation of its contents should attract serious sanctions, while budget indiscipline should be criminalized.
• The Executive should publish and share, on a quarterly basis, budget performance reports, as well as list of contracts to be awarded, giving its contents, locations, and other relevant information on each project’s performance to enhance transparency.
• The government and CSOs should build a workable road map to accelerate the use of vital technology and digital tools to help in the monitoring of budget performance.
• Building of technical knowledge, skills and stakeholders’ capacity requires inclusive engagement in the budgetary processes, monitoring, tracking and evaluation for effective service delivery should be a focus of CSOs, development partners and government.
• Government in conjunction with CSOs, should strengthens capacity for women to enable them explore opportunities embedded in the budget for different value chains, especially, agriculture and extractives.

CONCLUSION:

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM in Nigeria for organizing this Advocacy Roundtable that provided participants an opportunity to enhance their knowledge on budgeting and fiscal governance. Participants requested that a Roundtable, such as this, should be regular, rather than a one-off event. Akwa Ibom State Government was commended for evolving methodology in the state in the making of Citizen’s Budget. The model is worth replication across other states and at the Local Government level.

Adopted in Uyo on Friday, 2^nd July 2021.

Communique Drafting Team

Introduction:

Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group’s Regional Accountability Centre (www.nigerdeltabudget.org), with support from Oxfam in Nigeria (www.oxfam.org/nigeria), conducted a Two (2) Day Impact Harvesting and Co-learning- Through Shared Experience Gathering at Uyo on the above mentioned dates. The event was part of NDEBUMOG’s SPP IV programmatic responsibility. The event was considered, strategic, and was targeted to bring together, selected SPP’s stakeholders and participants that were coalesced from previous (SPP’s) activities.

The gathering had a blend of fiscal stakeholders, especially, budget and taxation. Other fiscal derivatives, such as, evaluation, gender sensitivity, impacts’ dynamics, monitoring, evaluation, among others, were also considered during deliberations and testimonies. Importantly, the gathering was a shared co-learning exercise, through (participatory) experience- sharing through fiscally harvested testimonies that could shaped future’s development equilibrium, especially, for development managers and researchers. Oxfam’s Strategic Partnership Program was specifically structured to be fiscally useful to Nigeria and is envisaged to create sustainable impact, whereby, more Nigerians, especially; women, are empowered to participate in decision making processes, contributes to nation’s building, as active citizens, and benefits from better living standards, through increased availability of essential services. The concept’s results are projected to be achieved, through an improved (fiscal) policies, responsive (democratic) practices, alongside, a private sector envisions towards reduction of poverty and extreme inequality, through effective and efficient management of Nigeria’s (tremendous) resources with increased citizens’ participation.

After deliberations and testimonies, below, were matters raised by stakeholders:

          Concerns:

1. That citizens should participate in all strata of fiscal governance, from tax, budget and audits, among others.
2. Neglect of education by tiers of government, has brought additional burden on the people, as parents are forced to send their wards to private schools at exorbitant costs.
3. Failure of government to address infrastructural shortcomings, has become a morale burden at mobilizing the taxpayers towards their civic responsibilities.
4. There is no enabling environment and motivations for informal sector to be encouraged to pay their taxes.
5. VAT increase is scary and shall further bleaks citizens’ expectations on economic freedom.
6. That rising insecurity in the country is a serious concern and a wakeup call for citizens to be involved in budget monitoring.

 Resolutions/recommendations:

1. Government should invite (fiscal governance) NGOs/CSOs/Community Based Organizations into the fiscal circle with the National and State Assemblies, through formal processes, such as;

ü  Attendance of Public Hearings for service delivery and pro-poor related Bills

ü  Policy Reviews

ü  Budgetary interventions

ü  NGOs/CSOs, with expertise on fiscal matters, should also be invited to investigative hearings.

2. State government should domesticate and simplify Nigeria’s tax laws, encourage implementation through service delivery and make public, such tax laws and policies to help fair tax education.
3. All governmental transactions in Nigeria, should follow due process, accountability, transparency and value for money.
4. CSOs should be focused on budget tracking and monitoring, as a tool for ensuring good governance
5. States were implored to launch and support OPEN GOVERNANCE PARTNERSHIP, to fast track development, through participatory democratic accountability.
6. Federal government should step up effective security apparatuses, which will provide enabling environment for a thriving economy.
7. Rather than an increased in VAT, government should block leakages, illicit financial flows, capital flight in all sectors, alongside, stimulating citizens-ownership of anti-corruption crusade.
8. CSOs were urged to build their capacity on International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) for better understanding of budget processes and real-time monitoring and evaluation service delivery indicators.

Participants commended OXFAM for providing support for the gathering and for supporting Nigeria’s nation building.

Adopted at Uyo this 14^th day of September 2019.

On behalf of Strategic Partnership Program’s Impact Harvesting Gathering;

1. Dr. George-Hill Anthony-ED/Chief Executive Officer-Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group
2. Olakunle Oyegoke-Ondo State Tax Justice & Governance Platform
3. Ugochi Ehiahuruke-Anambra State Tax Justice Platform
4. Ogunjobi Olalekan-Ogun State Tax Justice Platform
5. Stiv Obodoekwe-Port Harcourt Shadow Budget Group
6. Mfon Esua-Uyo Shadow Budget Group

Within the framework of Oxfam’s Financing for Development program in Nigeria, the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) held a Multi-stakeholders dialogue on taxation with support from Oxfam’s country office (SAWA) in Nigeria, as part of its Strategic Partnership Program’s (SPP4) consolidated (MEAL) workplan.
Objectives included but was not limited to enhancing multi-stakeholders dialogue on fair and inclusive taxation, revenue tracking, public finance expenditure monitoring, evaluation and influencing, among others.
Participants from the dialogue, were drawn from stakeholders across civil society organisations, private sector, academia, community groups, shadow budget platforms and (selected) members of Nigeria’s Tax Justice Platforms and related groups.
The dialogue produced key observations and recommendations below;
Observations:
1. Absence of political will to enforce Nigeria’s National Tax Policy. 2. Multiplicity of taxes in all the States. 3. Confusion and collection-conflicts over tax jurisdictions. 4. Use of touts for tax collection. 5. The three tiers of government have not lived up to expectation on service delivery. Recommendations:
1. More tax awareness and education should be carried out across the country. 2. Review and adoption of key policy interventions and tax reform strategies implemented by the government of Lagos State for adoption and domestication by various states’ tax administrators to improve domestic (resource)  mobilization. 3. Need to streamline and outline statutory taxes for informal sectors through appropriate tax collection entities at various levels and dissemination to citizen to address issues of multiple taxation and awareness to address tax-borders and encroachment within sub national collection boundaries. 4. A need to employ key processes of ‘Influencing for Impact’ with respect to identifying appropriate influencing cycle, power and context analysis in designing intervention strategies with consideration for lessons learnt. 5. Simplifying the budgetary provisions and tax information for effective and wide-spread sensitization.
Participants commended NDEBUMOG and Oxfam Nigeria for the program and solicited for more interventions in this direction.
A motion for adoption of this communique was moved by Victor Arokoyo of ChristianAid Nigeria and was seconded by Folasade Odunukan of the Lagos state Tax Justice and Governance Platform.

Preamble:
Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group, NDEBUMOG, with support from OXFAM organized a 2-day capacity building workshop for civil society organizations, including members of Tax Justice Platforms and related groups. The workshop seeks to improve capacity of participants on taxation, revenues tracking, fair taxation, public finance expenditure monitoring, expenditure evaluation and influencing.
The workshop, which is part of NDEBUMOG’s financing for development (FFD) project under OXFAM’s strategic partnership program’s Consolidated (MEAL) workplan had participants drawn from 16 states, namely, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Lagos, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Ebonyi, Cross River, Bayelsa, Edo, Ondo, Ogun, Ekiti, Oyo and Rivers state. The sessions were participatory with participants sharing practical experiences. After exhaustive deliberations on various thematic issues, the following observations and recommendations were made:
OBSERVATION: 
1. The lack of coordination of tax justice efforts in the formal and informal sectors of the economy has led to reduced results 2. The current tax regime seems to be widening the inequality gap 3. The Nigerian tax system is too complex and unwieldy leading to abuse and the reduction of optimal benefits to both tax payers and the government 4. Non adherence by tax administrators to the national tax policy 5. Leakages in the tax collection process 6. Most Foreign nationals working in Nigeria are not in the tax net leading to huge tax loss to the nation 7. The continuous use of consultants and touts for tax collection is antithetical to the national tax policy 8. There persistent the preponderance of double and multiple taxation in the system 9. Poor knowledge of Nigerians about taxation provides avenue for their exploitation by agents of state. 10. Taxpayers not motivated to pay tax because of the absence of commensurate infrastructural development 11. There is gross abuse of tax incentives and it only favors the rich 12. Aggressive tax collection process still persists, especially in the informal sector 13. The unavailability of robust data base for Federal, State and Local Government tax payers, leads to complications on tax collection on each level. 14. The vague and open-ended nature of some Items on the approved Taxes and Levies list leaves room for exploitation of the poor and the widening of the inequality gap.
RECOMMENDATION:
1. CSOs, the Media and participants must escalate advocacy to reduce human interference in the tax collection process. 2. CSOs should expand and deepen advocacy on tax policy improvement to deepen commitment to reducing inequality. 3. CSOs should aggressively deepen advocacy and sensitization amongst the vulnerable groups, most especially women in the informal sector from been harassed and overburdened by tax payment. 4. The massive deployment of technology in the tax collection process to ensure transparency and block leakages. 5. The Joint Tax Board which comprises Federal, State and Local Governments should expedite the process of harmonizing taxes across the federation and streamlining collection points to avoid multiple taxation and extortion. 6. Government should review existing tax laws to meet with contemporary economic realities as well as ensure the achievement of voluntary compliance by taxpayers. 7. CSOs and the media should track internally generated revenue at both the national and sub-national levels to guarantee, fairness, equity and justice in tax administration in the country. 8. There is strong need to strengthen and capacitate tax monitors especially at the sub-national level 9. Absolute respect for the rights and privileges of tax payers 10. CSOs and the media in Nigeria should continue to advocate and put pressure on governments at all levels to develop the political will to fight corruption and stop impunity by enforcing the rule of law in their domains in the tax collection process. 11. Governments at all levels must ensure the establishment effective taxation redress mechanism. 12. There is the need for precision and specification of taxes collectable. 13. Governments at all levels should strengthen institutions and the capacity of tax officials to be more effective in tax administration rather than resorting to extra-governmental persons and entities for tax collection 14. CSOs and other stakeholders should collaborate more and create synergy in their activities for advocacy and tax education of citizens, including ongoing reforms to empower citizens to engage tax issues effectively and build the critical mass that will bring about the required change in tax policies in favor of the poor and narrow the inequality gap. 15. Tax Justice Platform should encourage citizens to ask questions about the use of taxes to promote transparency and accountability and judicious spending of taxpayers’ money.
CONCLUSION
Participants present expressed their appreciation to NDEBUMOG for the capacity building workshop. They also thanked Oxfam Nigeria for providing the support.

Preamble

A one-day town hall meeting on development action plans, community needs assessment and shadow budget was organized by the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG (www.nigerdeltabudget.org) with support from Oxfam in Nigeria.

Participants were drawn from several communities, clusters, NDEBUMOG Shadow Budget Groups, Civil Society Organizations, CBOs, alongside, some professional bodies. The event was a success, as the aims of the meeting, which included to enlightened participants on shadow budget and community needs assessment and how they can go about it was achieved. After the technical presentations, below are what came out from the meeting;

OBSERVATIONS:

–          Most communities lack capacity to carry out needs’ assessment and shadow budgeting.

–          Projects are imposed on communities without considering their needs.

–          Most communities do not have needs assessment documents or action plans.

–          Gender equity is lacking within communal, cultural and socioeconomic considerations.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

–           Capacity building and sensitizations are needed at empowering communities on how to carry out needs’ assessment and shadow budgeting. It was emphasized that such knowledge of shadow budget can help to fiscally empower the people in a democracy.

–           Community Associations and Women Groups should be consulted as part of budget consultations

–          Budget tracking should be taken seriously by communities in synergy with CSOs and responsive agencies of government

CONCLUSION:

Participants commended Oxfam and NDEBUMOG for the event, particularly, the empowerment of women, which was the hallmark of this event.

THE COMMUNIQUE DRAFTING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

1. Mr. Kelechi Agu
2. Assumpta Chinyere
3. Nse Udoh

MOTION FOR ADOPTION OF COMMUNIQUE was moved by

1. Okafor Nkeiruka, and seconded by
2. Pauline Ekiyor

COMMUNIQUE ADOPTED AT THE END OF A ONE DAY FISCAL INCLUSION TOWN HALL MEETING, ORGANIZED BY THE NIGER DELTA BUDGET MONITORING GROUP, WITH SUPPORT FROM OXFAM IN NIGERIA AS PART OF OXFAM’S STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (SPP YEAR 3) HELD ON SATURDAY, 17^TH DAY OF NOVEMBER 2018 AT LIBAC HOTEL, IGWURUTA, RIVERS STATE.

Preamble

A one-day town hall meeting on community needs assessment and shadow budget was organized by the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG (www.nigerdeltabudget.org) with support from Oxfam Nigeria’s Financing for Development’s program.

The Financing for Development’s (F4D) concept- under Oxfam’s Strategic Partnership Program (SPP) envisages to create sustainable impact, whereby, more Nigerians, especially; women, are empowered to participate in decision making processes, contributes to nation building as active citizens, and benefits from better living standards through increased availability of essential services. Futuristically, on the long-term, the outcome is projected to be achieved, through an improved (fiscal) policies, responsive practices of government, together, with the private sector that would result in reduction of poverty and extreme inequality, through effective and efficient management of Nigeria’s (tremendous) resources with increased citizens’ participation.

Pathways to change has been planned at 5 levels, namely; Improved Policies of Government, Improved Policies of Private Sector, Strengthened CSOs, Increased Citizens’ Voice and finally, building Stronger and wider Alliances through (strategic) influencing modules. The beneficiaries, are mainly; the Nigerian people, that is; workers, civil society organisations, local communities, market women, small scale farmers, artisans, traders, local governments, national and sub-national parliaments, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government (MDAs), the private sector, et al.

In view of the above, participants for this town hall meeting, were drawn from communities in Etche and Ikwerre Local Government Areas of Rivers state, respectively. The meeting focused on community needs assessment, community action plans and livelihood opportunities for women and men. Gender equity and fiscal inclusion also featured during deliberations at the meeting. Among the aims of these Town Hall meeting are to raise a communal- mass of fiscal influencers, mobilize the citizenry through strategic partnership/influencing theory, which shall enhance democratic inclusion, raise communal mass of (fiscal) lobbyists at the grassroots, deepens democratic accountability and transparency around communal developmental clusters, among others. We further used these Town Hall meetings for enlightenment of communities on (inclusive) participatory budget and exposure to governmental-fiscal mechanics, which the communities could use to leverage development at the grassroots and promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the benefits of all by the year 2030.

The following were observations made at this Igwuruta Town Hall meeting:

1. That monies spent by the government belongs to the people, hence, citizens must be consulted during fiscal processes by every tier of government.
2. Knowledge about shadow budget as essential fiscal tool is relegated to the background and neglected in budget tracking and in the fight against corruption.
3. Fiscal domineering by men is a factor that hinders social harmony and encourages inequality.

Resolutions:

1. That government at all levels, should place value and priority on (inclusive) human needs, livelihood and strategic planning, which engenders women’s rights.
2. That exclusion of women in communal, cultural, traditional and political settings, should be addressed through fiscal approaches and policies that promotes inclusivity towards the SDGs.
3. Participation of women in community projects’, alongside, other social, cultural and economic sectors should be encouraged.
4. Budget of government should be opened for proper accountability, transparency and tracking by communities and other stakeholders.

Conclusion:

Participants appreciated NDEBUMOG and Oxfam for taking a fiscal activity, such as this, to hinterlands and semi-urbans areas, pledging to be fiscally responsive within their areas. Participants solicited for more town hall meetings around semi urban and rural areas.

Communique drafted by;

1. Mrs. Blessing Friday Ogbuji
2. Nnodim Gift O.
3. Mrs. Juliana C. Eze Onuoha
4. Coxson Queen Barine

Adopted at Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria on Saturday 17^th November, 2018.

END

Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group, with support from Oxfam in Nigeria, conducted a one-day fiscal governance Town Hall Meeting for stakeholders from Obiaruku and Isoko Cluster in Delta State. The event was within NDEBUMOG’s programmatic chain of Oxfam’s Strategic Partnership Program in Nigeria, which has Oxfam, Budgit, CISLAC, Actionaid- Nigeria, NDEBUMOG and Kebetkache Women Development Centre as implementing partners.

Participants for this town hall meeting were: Local Government representatives, CSOs, Legal Practitioners, media practitioners, youth groups, women groups, high Chiefs and sociocultural groups.

OBSERVATIONS:

• Lack of transparency and corruption are major drawbacks bedeviling development efforts in Nigeria.
• Poor knowledge on economic literacy and participatory budgets are among setbacks hindering most communities against participation in the fiscal processes within the civic space, which is a democratic right.
• Ignorance about the pursuits of communal rights hinders democratic participation.
• Budget document is erroneously considered as “government’s property” due to poor access to the budget, which discourages interest of communities in the fiscal process.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Efforts should be geared at mobilizing more communities on economic literacy and participatory budgeting.
2. Members of communities should be carried along on needs assessment and projects monitoring.
3. Women and youths within the grassroots should be consulted for gender justice and participatory equity concerning government’s budget.
4. Communities should organize town hall meetings regularly to gauge their needs, and thereafter; contact their elected representative to push their needs into the budget.

5. Town hall meetings of this nature should be taken to other clusters within the grassroots for effective (democratic) mobilization.

6. Participants appealed to NDEBUMOG for the creation of additional Shadow Budget Groups at the grassroots.

COMMENDATION:

NDEBUMOG was highly appreciated for enlightenment of the community on participatory needs assessment and inclusive budgeting, whilst Oxfam Nigeria was commended for connecting communities at the grassroots through its strategic partnership.

Motion for adoption of this communiqué was moved by Mrs. Osakue Joy and was seconded by Mrs. Grace Enuademu.

Dated at Obiaruku in Delta State this 4^th day of October, 2018.

END

Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group, with support from Oxfam in Nigeria, conducted a one-day fiscal governance Town Hall Meeting for stakeholders from Awgu and Aninri Local Government Areas of Enugu State. The event was within NDEBUMOG’s programmatic chain of Oxfam’s Strategic Partnership Program in Nigeria, which has Oxfam, Budgit, CISLAC, Actionaid- Nigeria, NDEBUMOG and Kebetkache Women Development Centre as implementing partners.

Participants for this town hall meeting were drawn from several sectors in Aninri and Greater Awgu axis of Enugu State. Among them, were: Local Government representatives, NGOs, CBOs, legal practitioners, media practitioners, National Council for Women Society, Youth groups, professional bodies, the Igwes, Chiefs, traditional titled holders, among others. Presentations at the meeting centered on community needs assessment, action plan(s) and shadow budget. At the end of presentations and deliberations, participants adopted the following;

OBSERVATIONS:

• The importance of a meeting, such as this event, cannot be underplayed. As more communities should be reached to deepen their knowledge on basic economic literacy, fiscal inclusion and participatory budget.

• Women are relegated on communal consultative processes, which has hindered progress of women generationally.

• Lack of autonomy for Local Governments is a hinderance to service delivery and effective social infrastructure for communal good

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Communities should be involved on needs assessment and fiscal consultations.

2. Women and youths across various communities, should be involved in budget consultations and formulation, which enhances gender justice and participatory equity.

3. Communities should be involved in budget tracking to reduce the burden on their representatives in parliament, who tracks projects’, participate in law making and oversights, as such, will help to bridge the gap, if such parliamentarian becomes non-responsive or insensitive, due to the burden of communal projects’ follow ups.

4. Town hall meetings of this nature should be taken to various communities across the country through CDCs, CBAs, Town Unions, CBOs, etc. As that is an avenue to sensitize the people on their roles to track (their) capital projects in each fiscal year.

5. More shadow budget groups should be created by NDEBUMOG as a platform for fiscal networking and empowerment of women at the grassroots.

COMMENDATION:

1. Participants commended NDEBUMOG for the creation of additional Shadow Budget Platforms in Enugu State.

1. Oxfam Nigeria was appreciated for encouraging fiscal education and basic economic literacy at grassroots.

iii.                Participants commended Enugu State Government for encouraging communities to choose their (self-help) projects through the Town Unions, something; which is worth emulating by other States’ across the country.

Motion for adoption of this communique was moved by:

1. Ben Motoanya and seconded by;

2. Mrs. Felicia N. Iyidiobi

Dated at Awgu this 27^th Day of September, 2018.

END

PREAMBLE:

A two-day training workshop on “Gender Responsive Budgeting and Inclusive Budget” for selected Local Government Areas and related MDAs from Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu and Rivers State was organized by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group with support from OXFAM in Nigeria on Thursday,30th and Friday,31^st of August, 2018. It was part of Oxfam’s Strategic Partnership Program’s Financing for Development scheme, which is currently being implemented in a few countries and Nigeria by Oxfam through its strategic partners. The training was aimed at building capacity and knowledge of participants on gender responsive budgeting, gender equity and responsive line items in the budget with necessary social (infrastructural) pillars through constructive influencing, gender justice and inclusivity across the MDAs. The event was attended by some States’ Directors of Economic Planning, HODs- Statistics, Directors of PRS, HODs- Budget/Appropriation/Finance, HODs-Monitoring and Evaluation, Planning Officers, Gender Desk Officers, Account/Finance Officers, among others, from LGAs, MDAs and Houses of Assembly’s Officers responsible for Local Government matters. Selected persons from NDEBUMOG Shadow Budget Groups were also nominated to participate.

ISSUES/OBSERVATIONS/CONCERNS:

Following presentations and deliberations, participants observed and raised concerns as follows:

That monitoring and evaluation should be taken seriously by all agencies of government.

That statistics and data integrity are essential to monitoring impact of budgetary interventions.

That gender sensitivity and responsiveness are relegated to the background, a times, unconsciously by government agencies.

That there are Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offices across 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Ironically, Sustainable Development Goals are yet to be mainstreamed into government’s budgets. Consequent upon this, the impact of SDGs is yet to be felt across the country.

That although budget is an Appropriation Act that should easily be accessed, obtaining the document should not be as difficult as it seems, especially, at the Local Government level.

That although LGAs are a separate tier of government, its finances are being controlled by the States, which often, makes it difficult for the LGAs to deliver developmentally and infrastructurally to the communities. Therefore, the need for Local Government autonomy should not be underplayed.

RECOMMENDATIONS/RESOLUTIONS

From the foregoing, participants recommended and resolved as follows:

Authorities responsible for budget making should consciously ensure that gender justice is mainstreamed. Gender equity should be fundamental in all the budgetary and fiscal processes.

Agencies with monitoring and evaluation roles should connect, synergize, and collaborate with communities and CSOs for the monitoring of projects’ implementation.

Budget implementation and performances should be 100 percent. Fiscal laws should emphasize value for money, and make it compulsory for the Executive to publish contracts awards, including BOQs, locations and other relevant information for fiscal transparency.

 National Assembly should reactivate, accelerate and pass relevant constitutional amendment for LGAs autonomy, which will make it easier for the Councils to be held responsible for all funds accruable to the Councils.

Building of Technical knowledge, skills and stakeholders’ capacity are required to engage in the budgetary processes, monitor, track and evaluate for effective results, hence; government, INGOs, CSOs and others should collaborate for crosscutting capacity strengthening.

Budgeting should be made transparent, inclusive and participatory. All stakeholders should be involved in contributing to the planning, conceptualization and formulation of the budget to remove the veil of secrecy for effective of monitoring;

Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies at all levels should ensure they mainstream SDGs into their budget and expenditure plans.

Government should make adequate provisions to each envelope’s ELI and ensure timely releases of funds for appropriated projects to avoid unnecessary demands for variations.

CONCLUSION:

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM for the opportunity given to them to enhanced their capacity on inclusive budget and gender responsive budgeting. They requested for such trainings to be regular.

Adopted at Uyo on Friday on the 31^st of August, 2018.

Communiqué Drafting Team

 Omate Albert

Delta State House of Assembly, Asaba

Igweani Sabena Uju

HOD, PRS, Enugu North LGA.

Frank Sarah Offiong

Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly,

Nwafor Uzodinma

Okehi Youths Forum, Etche, Rivers state

Preamble

The Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) with support from Oxfam organised a 2-day training program for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on “Inclusive budget and Basic Economic Literacy” at Umneak Hotels Ltd, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Participants for the training were drawn from CSOs, media, community leaders, traditional institutions and Shadow Budget Groups across Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Bayelsa and Rivers State.

OBSERVATIONS:

During the training, which lasted from 20^th to 21^st of August, 2018.  The following observations were made.

•  Government institutions are weak and are not able to deliver on their set goals. (the Government institutions are weak, because practices, laws and policies are not working)
• CSOs are not doing enough to check the excesses of the Government.  They (CSOs) became inactive after the end of military rule in 1999
• Corruption is endemic in the nation
• Politicians do not understand that civil rule is about democracy, processes and rule of law.
• There is growing hopelessness in the land and the citizens are becoming subjects, rather than active citizens
• Government does budget but do not monitor its implementations, and as such, undermines the principle of fiscal transparency and accountability.
• Government has not been fiscally responsible as a result of its propensity for borrowing
• Anti- Corruption Agencies (ACAs) are being controlled by the Government in power.
• Anti Corruption Agencies do not include CSOs in their works or activities.
• Citizens do not understand fiscal responsibilities.
• Issues concerning women do not draw the required level of attention from Government, and as such, Government institutions occupied by women suffers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Government institutions should be strengthened through strong laws and good governance, since good governance is key against social and economic uncertainties and reduced corruption in the society.
2. Government and citizens must build strong institutions for a greater society.
3. CSOs must intensify their efforts towards making the people to realize that power belongs to (them the) masses, a factor, if well deployed during elections, through the media, lobbying and electoral justice should facilitate good governance for collective good.
4. Civil Society actors must be steadfast and driven by passion to better the lots of society and above pecuniary gains.
5. Government should expand its anti-corruption agencies, such as, the Police, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Code of Conduct Bureau and Fiscal Responsibility Commission by co-opting CSOs in the fight against corruption.
6.  There should be a performance dashboard in every State for measuring of fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability.
7. Government should seek a new and sustainable means of paying its debts and should reduce the propensity for borrowing.
8. Government should mainstream gender equity in the implementation of poverty alleviation programs, in such a manner, that will be beneficial to women and men.
9. Budget monitoring and evaluation should be an integral part of CSOs’ everyday activities in order to ensure that fiscal transparency on the part of government are implemented without any hitches.
10. Fiscal transparency and accountability should be introduced as a course of study in all secondary/ tertiary institutions to fast track the indoctrination of the concept, among the teeming population of youths’ and young people.

Motion for adoption of the Communique moved by:

1. Hon. Austen Young      –        Port Harcourt
2. Mrs. Victoria Nduka    –        Nsukka Shadow Budget Group,

   Prepared by;

Communiqué Drafting committee and endorsed by:

1. Assumpta Chinyere Okere-  Centre for International Volunteers, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
2. Chief Alloy Adi Nwauzi- Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
3. Onunze Onyinye- Enugu Shadow Budget Group,
4. Imabong Udo-  Uyo Shadow Budget Group,
5. Aniema Nyong- Women United for Economic Empowerment
6. Celestine Okwudili Odo-Oxfam in Nigeria
7. Dr. George-Hill Anthony-Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group

PREAMBLES

The program started by 10.12am with opening prayer by the Chief Imam of Agege Alhaji Abdulganiu. Thereafter, the CEO of Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG). Dr. George-Hill Anthony, gave his welcome remarks. The representative of Oxfam in Nigeria, Mr. Celestine Okwudili Odo made his opening speech, at the same time as the wife of the Chairman of Agege Local Government gave welcomed all and thanked the organizers of the programme for bringing the gathering to Agege.

After deliberations during the meeting, it was resolved as follows:

1. That more town hall meetings should be organized on a monthly basis, instead of quarterly basis to appraise and evaluate developmental projects that are relevant to stakeholders.
2. That more synergies are needed between the Federal, States and Local Governments for the actualization of developmental plans in order to access funds meant for development projects/programmes, which may be sponsored by foreign organizations
3. That continuous training and re-training of technocrats and community- based organizations in order to ensure transparency and accountability.
4. That youths’ and women empowerment are vital in the campaign against unemployment.
5. That more access roads or link roads to markets should be rehabilitated in order to create easy accessibility to major or state roads, open up more interior parts, thereby, ensure growth and development of the area and further boost economic situation of the LG.
6. That in terms of agriculture and processing plants e.g. smoking kiln and cold room for butchers and fisher folks are needed.
7. That improved and continuous training on agriculture in order to improve empowerment and extension programmes are needed.
8. The need to ensure that stakeholders are included during the budget making processes on a continuous basis is vital.
9. That empowerment of traders and artisans should be encouraged.

In absence of any other addition to the above, the motion for adoption of communique was moved by Alabi Gbemisola G. and seconded by Comrade Oyewale Sunday Schemer.

This communique was signed by:

1. Com. Sanusi Olatunji Abbas- CDC Secretary, Agege LGA.
2. Prince Akande Olawale- Artisans Chairman, Agege
3. Amosu Oluwabukola- Community Development Officer
4. Alhaji Taibat Tijani Lawal- Iyaloja General, Agege LGA
5. Chief (Mrs.) Bola Britto- Women Leader.

PREAMBLES

A Town Hall Meeting on fiscal influencing, shadow budgeting and community needs assessment was organized by NDEBUMOG with support from Oxfam in Nigeria on Thursday, Feb 15, 2018 at Agbor, Delta state.

 The meeting was focused at creating awareness on issues of inclusive budget, community needs assessment, basic economic literacy, shadow budget, fiscal lobbying and community mobilization for responsive governance.  Factsheets were used to motivate participants on how to develop community action plans, including how to lobby for inclusion of such action plans in the budget through knowledge of shadow budget. The meeting was part of the activities of Oxfam’s Financing for Development- Strategic Partnership Program (SPP-II) being implemented by NDEBUMOG and other strategic partners.

 Participants were drawn from communities around Agbor, women groups, youths, academia, including a few CBOs around Agbor, among others.

OBSERVATIONS

Following deliberations and discussions around issues of budget and fiscal processes of government, participants observed as follows:

That citizens, especially, persons at the community level, hardly participate in government’s budget process or on other aspects of fiscal governance, which is due to lack of opportunity to participate;

That community needs assessment is crucial in budget making, as such, will ensure community needs are included across the budgets of all tiers of government. Presently, community needs assessment are hardly factored into government fiscal blueprints, which will negate the achievement of SDGs by Nigeria.

That political office holders, who ought to be representatives of the citizens have detached themselves from the people they ought to represent, which makes it difficult for citizens to lobby for their inclusive budget needs;

That the manner, which the government handles issue of budgets, from conceptualization, formulation, preparation, passage, implementation, monitoring and evaluation does not give room for transparency. Budget documents are hardly accessible to the public, especially, at the Local Government level;

That rather than the budget being a tool that tackles societal problems, it has become a platform for looting of public treasury;

That many projects earmarked for Agbor’s cluster in the 2012 and 2013 Delta State Government’s appropriation, were not carried out. Some of such projects are reappearing in subsequent budgets; which could not be tracked, as most locations for the projects were not clearly stated in the budget document;

RECOMMENDATIONS, DEMANDS, RESOLUTIONS:

Participants demand that the government revisit 2012 and 2013 budgets to remedy non-implementation of projects that appeared for Agbor’s cluster in previous years, which were not implemented.

Government should incorporate community needs assessment as part of the budgeting process. At the beginning of any budget cycle, governments should create forums for collecting and collating community needs. Such will make the government people friendly and purpose driven;

Budget documents are public documents; they should be made accessible to the public, rather than being treated as secret documents. People’s right to access information should be respected;

Government should make the budget process open and participatory and should encourage citizens, including community stakeholders to participate through the process;

Citizens should begin to show interest in governance and should begin to ask questions on how they are being governed, demand accountability as a democratic prerogative, including the right to know and the right to participate in governance;

Government should ensure that projects contained in budgets are duly executed in line with specifications to avoid abandonment;

Political office holders should create avenues for regular interactions with the people that they represent. This will ensure that interests of the citizens are protected at all times;

Participants resolved to embark on awareness programmes to enlighten communities on the need to embark on budget monitoring as a civic duty;

Participants resolved to use knowledge of shadow budget and related techniques impacted on them at this town hall meeting as an advocacy tool to attract developments to their communities and resolved to begin the monitoring of budgets to ensure that projects allocated to their areas are carried out;

CONCLUSION:

The participants thanked NDEBUMOG and Oxfam for the meeting, which they said was an eye opener.  They pleaded with the organizers of the meeting to ensure such meeting holds periodically, maybe quarterly. They further requested that NDEBUMOG and Oxfam should regularly update them with budget/public financial information to enable them follow up on budget monitoring.

SIGNED:

Ogbeni Chris (Owa Community, Ika North East)

Omate Stephnie (Ozoro Community, Isoko South)

Orumgbe Sandra (Agbor-Obi, Ika South)

Philips Chinwe (Asaba, Oshimili South)

COMMUNIQUÉ ADOPTED AT THE END OF A ONE DAY TOWN HALL MEETING ORGANIZED BY NDEBUMOG IN CONJUNCTION WITH OXFAM IN NIGERIA AS PART OF OXFAM’S SPP II ACTIVITIES AT BRIDGE WATERS HOTEL, ENUGU ON THURSDAY, FEB. 8, 2018.

 INTRODUCTION:

A Town Hall meeting on shadow budget and community needs assessment was organized by NDEBUMOG in conjunction with Oxfam in Nigeria on Thursday, Feb 8, 2018 at Bridge Waters Hotel, GRA, Enugu State. The meeting was aimed at creating awareness about issues of participatory budget and the use of factsheets as a tool for fiscal lobbying, influencing and development of community action plans. It was part of the activities of Oxfam’s Financing for Development Strategic Partnership Program (SPP-II), being implemented by NDEBUMOG and other partners across Nigeria.

Participants were drawn from several sectors, such as, the Local Government Representatives, legal practitioners, traditional rulers, Civil Society Organizations’, students, National Council for Women Societies and other professionals. The meeting was declared open by the Traditional Ruler of Uruku Kingdom, HRM, Igwe (Dr) Cornelius Nomeh, JP, the Eze Udo 1 of Uruku Kingdom.

OBSERVATIONS:

It was observed that citizens at the community level, do not have interest in budget work and do not ask questions aimed at holding the government accountable. Such citizens treat budget and governance as exclusively a matter for those in power.  Therefore, the need to hold government accountable on what happens in the budget circle is a collective responsibility and not the business of government alone.

It was also observed that government, do not carry out community needs assessments before deciding on projects to be allocated in the budget on behalf of communities nor bother to find out, what the people truly needs, when and how they need it.

The general lack of interest in the budget by communities and the failure to hold government accountable have created the opportunity for those in power to mismanage Nigeria’s commonwealth.

From the fact sheets presented to stakeholders during the meeting, it was observed that up to 80% of line items allocated in the capital budget for Enugu State in the 2016 FGN’s Budget were never carried out. Such, for instance, are; Construction of block 3 classrooms with VIP office, toilets and furniture at Community High School Obioma, Udi LGA, allotted N15,000,000 was not constructed. Construction of Road Network in FGC Enugu allotted N34, 264,125 was not constructed, Construction of Perimeter Fence worth N15, 002,484 was not constructed as the school already has a fence. A sum of N293, 145,984 that was allocated to improve the standard of education at FGC in Enugu was never utilized etc.

RESOLUTIONS:

The participants resolved and agreed as follows:

1. Monitoring the budget processes and implementation is a collective responsibility, as the governors or presidents may have the time to monitor budget.
2. It is citizens responsibility to monitor budget through man power development on budget processes and analysis, reporting to community leaders or civil society groups and through press conferences and walking up to relevant government agencies.
3. We will hold companies in our localities accountable for corporate social responsibility (CSR), ensuring that they carry out NEEDS ASSESSMENT in the communities before implementing community development programmes. Citizens also need to engage these entities to ensure that they pay their actual tax regularly.
4. Women should be sensitized on the need and importance of their involvement in shadow budgeting, as women and children are the most marginalized in Africa.
5. Participants demanded that the 2016 Federal Government’s Budget as it affects Enugu State, should be revisited with a view to implementing the projects contained therein.

CONCLUSION:

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM for the meeting, which they said was an eye-opener for bringing a meeting as important as this to Enugu stakeholders.

Prepared by (pro bono) Communique Drafting Committee:

1. Dr. Godstime Okafor (Global Law Firm)
2. Mrs. Nneka Ikeh (Legal Practitioner)
3. Chioma Madukwe (Socio-economic Researcher)
4.  Barr. Ebere Chikezie (Legal Practitioner)
5. Dr. Joycelin Okubuiro (Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus)

Barr. Chinasa Agu Ndubisi moved the motion for adoption of the communique and was seconded by Engr Alloysius Iloka.

INTRODUCTION

A Town Hall meeting on shadow budget and community needs assessment was organized by NDEBUMOG in conjunction with Oxfam in Nigeria on Saturday, Feb 10, 2018 at Jerry Marriot Hotel, Nsukka, Enugu State. The meeting was aimed at creating awareness about issues of participatory budget and the use of factsheets as a tool for fiscal lobbying, influencing and development of community action plans. It was part of the activities of Oxfam’s Financing for Development Strategic Partnership Program (SPP-II), being implemented by NDEBUMOG and other partners across Nigeria.

Participants were drawn from Local Government Areas around Nsukka, legal practitioners, traditional rulers, Civil Society Organizations, youths, women groups, academia in Enugu North Senatorial District, among others. The meeting was declared open by the Traditional Ruler of Nkpunano, Nsukka Ancient Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Igwe (Dr) Amb Patrick Okolo, Chukwu Nwe Eze 1 of Nkpunano Kingdom.

There were presentations on community needs assessments and shadow budget that were made by a team of facilitators, which further elucidate discussions during the gathering.

OBSERVATIONS:

Participants observed the following;

• That majority of community stakeholders, do not participate in government budget process, due to lack of interest and opportunity to participate;
• Community needs are hardly captured in the government budgets as a result of failure to incorporate and carry out community needs assessments in the budgeting process;
• That budgeting processes are not transparent and budget documents are hardly accessible to the public, especially, Local Government Budgets;
• That rather than tackling the needs of communities, government budgets have become avenues for corruption;
• The participants also observed that many of the projects allocated to the Enugu North in the Federal Government’s 2016 Appropriation Act, were either; not executed, abandoned or not completed. Most of the projects seems to be highly inflated and some duplicated. It was further observed that some projects executed by an International Development Agency, (World Bank) were also contained in the 2016 Federal Government Budget.
• It was also observed that health workers charge money for maternal and child services, whereas; such services have been declared as free by government.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

From the foregoing, participants recommended and resolved as follows:

• That community needs assessments should be made an integral part of the government budgetary and fiscal processes at all levels to ensure that community needs are appropriately captured in the budget;
• That government should not only make budget participatory, but should encourage citizens, including community stakeholders to participate actively in the process;
• That the 2016 Federal Government’s Budget should be revisited, so that the projects earmarked for Enugu State, which were either, not carried out or abandoned should be carried out to conclusion;
• That the government of Enugu State should embark on the probe of its free medical scheme to fish out, for sanctions, those who collects money from patients, even when the treatments are supposed to be free;
• Government at all levels should make budget documents accessible to the public, since budget is a public document. Hoarding of budget documents does not augur well for accountability, openness, and access to information;

RESOLUTIONS:

• The participants resolved to embark on budget advocacies, using the shadow budget techniques in order to attract development to their areas.
• They further resolved to embark on awareness campaigns in their localities to arouse t interest of community members for participation in budget and governance process.

CONCLUSION;

The participants thanked NDEBUMOG and OXFAM for the Town Hall meeting, which they said was an eye-opener to them.

Signed:

Mrs Onyechi Tochukwu –Obimo Community/Dept of Economics, UNN, Nsukka

Dr. Uchechukwu Onah-Department of Educational Foundations

University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Mrs. Amadi Happiness-Nsukka Community

Celestine Okwudili Odo-Oxfam in Nigeria

Preamble:

A One Day Town Hall Meeting on community needs assessment and shadow budget was organized by the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) with support from Oxfam in Nigeria on Tuesday 30th of January, 2018 at Chadef Hotel, Asaba, Delta State. Participants were drawn from communities and development clusters around Asaba in Delta State. An inclusive budget advocacy visit to the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt (Hon) Sheriff Oborevwori was also embarked upon by a section of NDEBUMOG SPP II Asaba Town meeting stakeholders during this event.
The Town Hall Meeting is a communally centered platform used for the mobilization of community stakeholders, particularly, women, opinion molders, chiefs, youth leaders, aged-group leaders, leaders of communities’ association and development committees/clusters, faith-based groups, community development officers and planners within the Local Government Areas around the (THM) cluster to the gathering, among others. Among the event’s specific objectives were:
• Serve as a capacity stimulant for community dwellers, opinion molders, women and youth leaders to provide the basis for constructive engagement of government on pro-poor expenditure mechanics, which directly and indirectly affects the poor and vulnerable segments of society.
• Share knowledge about the budget circle and how communities can participate in public finance expenditure processes, including; on how they can participate in the budget making through their communally developed strategic/action plans and understanding of shadow budget, which they can use to attract development programs/projects to their clusters or as electoral accountability gauge that is essential for demand-side actors.
• Identify challenges and strategic actions that are needed to tilt fiscal structure of the government at all levels for the benefit of communities and seek ways to encourage and synergize with officials at the Federal, States and Local Government system for effective delivery of governmental and communal development blueprints for urban/rural dwellers.
• Use the (TH) meeting to improve leadership and lobbying skills, which will enable chairmen of CDCs, CDAs, CBAs, CBOs, WGs, PWDs, among others, to collaborate, mobilize and engage actors in government constructively in pro-poor legislative lobbying against shrinking civic space, and therefore, consolidate opportunities for the enhancement of Nigeria’s democracy.
Presentations and interaction during the meeting were focused on;
• Strategic influencing through Oxfam’s pathways of change: perspectives on strategic partnership and financing for development.
• Community needs assessment and action plans: the connectors with the budget cycle for effective development at the grassroots.
• Community development action plans through shadow budget: approaches and methods
• Taxation and budget within the context of development dynamics
Presentations Key Points Were focused on:
• Goals and motivation
• Actors and power analysis
• Strategy Design
• Projects planning & implementation
• Learning about fiscal architecture
• Needs assessment and why needs assessment
• The connection between needs assessment and budget
• How needs assessment affects women at the grassroots
• Relationship between livelihoods, human needs, and empowerment of women through basic economic literacy
• Strategic partnership program (SPP) and the connection with sustainable with sustainable development at the grassroots
Observation/Recommendations:
Following robust deliberations, we the participants adopted the following action points and commit to implement and embark on actions below at community level as budget monitors;
1. Engage Local Government Chairmen, especially, the Chairman of Ethiope East LGA on Eku/Abraka Road, which is a death trap. The road was contracted about 2 years ago but not done till date.
2. The premises of Ethiope East LGA is in a state of disrepair and dilapidated and should be given the necessary intervention through repair.
3. Identify abandoned projects and contractors handling the projects
4. Embark on advocacy visit to the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning
5. Develop a shadow budget to help with effective monitoring to avoid wastages.
6. Engage relevant stakeholders in budget monitoring
7. Engage in participatory budget advocacy visit to the Delta State House of Assembly
• Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group
• Representative of Oxfam in Nigeria
• Representative of CISLAC
• Int’l Centre for Women Empowerment & Child Dev
• Aniocha North community delegates
• Oshimili South Community delegates
• Oshimili North Community delegates

A One Day Town Hall Meeting on shadow budgeting and community needs assessment was organised by Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG) with support from Oxfam in Nigeria on Friday, 2nd of February, 2018 at Elelenwo in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. Participants were drawn from communities and CBOs around Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City Local Government Areas. The meeting was formally declared open by the Paramount Ruler of Elelenwo Clan, His Royal Highness, Amb Sunny Weli.
The Town Hall Meeting is a communally centered platform used for the mobilization of community stakeholders, particularly, women, opinion moulders, chiefs, youth leaders, aged-group leaders, leaders of communities’ association and development committees/clusters, faith-based groups, community development officers and planners within the Local Government Areas around the (THM) cluster to the gathering, among others. Among the event’s specific objectives were:
• Serve as a capacity stimulant for community dwellers, opinion moulders, women and youth leaders to provide the basis for constructive engagement of government on pro-poor expenditure mechanics, which directly and indirectly affects the poor and vulnerable segments of society.
• Share knowledge about the budget circle and how communities can participate in public finance expenditure processes, including; on how they can participate in the budget making through their communally developed strategic/action plans and understanding of shadow budget, which they can use to attract development programs/projects to their clusters or as electoral accountability gauge that is essential for demand-side actors.
• Identify challenges and strategic actions that are needed to tilt fiscal structure of the government at all levels for the benefit of communities and seek ways to encourage and synergize with officials at the Federal, States and Local Government system for effective delivery of governmental and communal development blueprints for urban/rural dwellers.
• Use the (TH) meeting to improve leadership and lobbying skills, which will enable chairmen of CDCs, CDAs, CBAs, CBOs, WGs, PWDs, among others, to collaborate, mobilize and engage actors in government constructively in pro-poor legislative lobbying against shrinking civic space, and therefore, consolidate opportunities for the enhancement of Nigeria’s democracy.
Deliberations at this Town Hall Meeting centred on budgeting, community needs assessments, and community action plans through shadow budgeting approaches.
OBSERVATIONS/CONCERNS:
After robust presentations, deliberations and discussions, the participants observed and expressed concerns as follows:
That there is general lack of interest by communities in participation towards the budgeting process, due mainly to lack of awareness by the government;
That budget documents are still being treated as top secret by government actors, as the documents are not accessible to the public;
That budgeting and fiscal processes lack community inputs and proper needs assessments;
That government budgets hardly tackle community needs at all levels of government;
That communities in the Niger Delta has remained mostly under developed in spite of huge resources from the region, largely; due to corruption and fiscal indiscipline.
RESOLUTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS:
From the fore going, the participants resolved and recommended as follows:
That government at all levels should make the budget processes more open and transparent to ensure and encourage citizens participation;
Government at all level should make budget documents and other financial information open and accessible to the public and should further avoid politicising budgets;
That there should be proper community needs assessments as part of budgeting process to ensure the real needs of communities are incorporated in the budgets;
That there is need for massive mobilisation and sensitisation of the citizens for effective participation in budgeting;
Citizens are encouraged not to continue shying away from participation in the budget circle and governance, as it is a collective communal responsibility to demand accountability and hold government accountable for implementation and deliveries of capital projects and programs in their localities;
NDEBUMOG and other CSOs should embark on advocacy to relevant government agencies, with the view to encourage them advocate for open governance from the budget to audits, monitoring and evaluation;
CONCLUSION:
It is the considered opinion of this town hall meeting that there exists a huge gap between governments budget and citizens’ needs. The government and communities should therefore; adopt the resolutions of this Town Hall Meeting to ensure that budgets reflect the needs of citizenry.
Signed:
Coxson Queen Barine
Gift Amadi
Ijumaka Kote
Peace Peter-Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group

PREAMBLES

A two – day workshop on training of civil society stakeholders on budget monitoring and basic economic literacy, organised by NDEBUMOG in conjunction with OXFAM in Nigeria on Thursday 14^th and Friday 15^th September, 2017 at UM-NEAK Hotels Limited, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. It was part of the Strategic Partnership Program (SPP) on Financing for Development being implemented in Nigeria by Oxfam through its strategic partners. The training was aimed at building the capacity of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to monitor budget and also understand basic economic concepts at helping them to undertake effective budget/project monitoring and evaluation.

Participants were drawn from CSOs, including NDEBUMOG’s Team, SPP Partners, and some local NGOs, from Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Enugu, the FCT, Lagos, Delta State; and Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, as well as the media.

The workshop had five major technical presentations bordering on Strategic Leadership and Influencing, Shrinking Civic Space for non-State Actors and Inclusiveness in Fiscal Processes, Monitoring and Evaluation Methods and Approaches, Bridge Building and Networking and Inter-locking in the fight against corruption. The presentations were followed by plenary discussions and group work.

ISSUES OF CONCERN/OBSERVATIONS:

 Following deliberations on the workshop themes, the participants observed the following as issues of concern;

•  That even though the budgeting process in Nigeria is widening and becoming more inclusive, CSOs involvement is still inadequate due to low capacity of CBOs to engage the process, as well as poor access to budget and project information.
•  The key role of CSOs includes; strategic influencing, budget analysis, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, but they are largely unable to perform these roles, due to continued shrinking of the civic space.
•  Some public institutions that have the mandate to ensure inclusivity and compliance to the Fiscal Responsibility Act have not performed optimally, especially, in making budget/project information available, there by practically facilitating the non-inclusion of CSOs, who need the information to play their role as watchdogs for society.
•  The shrinking space is a major challenge to CSOs Budget Monitoring Networks, in that the budget making process rarely accommodates the opinions of the Citizens, people with disabilities, and vulnerable groups.
•  Corruption has eaten deep into budget processes that the pattern of public finance management by government over the years has concentrated wealth in the hands of few individuals.
•  Over dependence of some CSOs on external funding to monitor budget and projects poses a challenge for sustainability, given the reality that donor funding space is equally shrinking along with dwindling democratic values at most countries, particularly in Africa.

ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS

From the foregoing, the participants hereby recommend as follows:

CSOs

• CSOs engage in budget monitoring should enhance their capacity through trainings, studies, researches, information and lessons sharing and institutional exchange programmes.
•  To keep demanding relevant information, using government laid channels and other instruments like the Freedom of Information Act.
•  CSOs should go beyond the challenges of the shrinking space, mobilize themselves into networks for continued strategic influencing, budget analysis, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation.
•  CSOs should articulate the needs and inputs of women, persons with disabilities, youths, children and other vulnerable groups.
•  Work with anti-corruption institutions and agencies, by making evidenced based information available and involve ACAs in their campaigns.
•  CSOs should creatively look for local and alternative sources of funding for their budget/project monitoring and other activities.

Government Institutions

• Institutions should facilitate and make budget and project information accessible to enable CSOs perform independent monitoring and evaluation to enhance transparency and accountability, which will make (any) government even more popular.
•  Accommodate the inputs of women, persons with disabilities, youths, children and other vulnerable groups on fiscal conceptualization, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
•  Government should strengthen the anti-corruption institutions and ensure punitive measures against convicted corrupt officials.

 CONCLUSION:

Participants commended NDEBUMOG and OXFAM for the opportunity to enhance their capacity in the budget monitoring and basic economic knowledge.

Signed:

Dr. George-Hill Anthony-CEO, Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group

Celestine Okwudili Odo-Oxfam Nigeria

Emeka Ngene-Actionaid Nigeria

Nkiru Nwobodo-Economic Empowerment and Development Initiative (EEDI), Enugu

Oluwapelumi Adeigbe-Sister’s Nest, Lagos State

INTRODUCTION

The Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group in collaboration with Oxfam in Nigeria organized a training workshop on Strategic Partnership for influencing through the Theory of Change (TOC) model as encapsulated in the Financing for Development’s Program (SPP-I) that is being implemented in Nigeria by Oxfam, NDEBUMOG, CISLAC, Budgit and Kebetkache. This training was to empower community stakeholders at the grassroots for fiscal influencing and responsive governance. Participants were drawn from Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and the FCT, Abuja. The workshop was geared at mobilizing community stakeholders to be proactive at playing active roles in community development processes, acquaint community stakeholders of the importance for demonstrable inclusiveness in the fiscal processes through the use of factsheets and other tools for mobilization of women for community development.

OPENING REMARKS

The Chief Executive Officer of Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group, Dr. George-Hill Anthony  welcomed participants to the training and advised them to make use of the knowledge to be gained to influence and hold political representatives accountable to do what is right for the development of their communities. He informed participants that the event is possible through the support of Oxfam in Nigeria’s Financing for Development (F4D) initiative, under the Strategic Partnership Programme across various countries globally, including Nigeria, which envisages to create sustainable impact, whereby; more Nigerians, especially women, are empowered to participate in decision making, contribute to nation building as active citizens and benefit from better living standards through increased availability of essential services.  He added that, similarly at the long-term, the outcome projected to be achieved is to create a situation of improved policies and practices of government and private sector that shall result in reduced poverty and extreme inequality through effective and efficient management of Nigeria’s tremendous resources and increased citizen participation through 5 pathways to change, namely; Improved Policies of Government, Improved Policies of Private Sector, Strengthened CSOs, Increased Citizens’ Voice, and finally, building Stronger and wider Alliances. The beneficiaries are mainly the Nigerian people, workers, CSOs, local communities, market women, small scale farmers, artisans, traders, local governments, Ministries Departments and Agencies of government (MDAs), the private sectors, among others. He concluded by urging participants to pay attention and be active participants.

 GOODWILL MESSAGE

Dame Nnamani Patricia, on behalf of participants from Enugu State thanked the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group, NDEBUMOG, for the presentation of the life insurance cover for some stakeholders from Enugu State as promised during an earlier training that was facilitated by NDEBUMOG under the SPP’s Phase I for Enugu Stakeholders. She encouraged participants to take training seriously.

Hon. Yong Austen, Convener of Police Community Forum (PCF) encouraged participants to work as a team in carrying out advocacy programmes for inclusive budget, monitoring and evaluation activities and to always connect civil society organization (CSOs) as a bridge to make sure that fiscal processes are well structured for the benefits of the poor and vulnerable citizens in society. Oxfam representative, Mr. Celestine Okwudili Odo also spoke around similar objectives but conveyed greetings to stakeholders present at the event from Oxfam in Nigeria.

 RESOLUTIONS

Below are resolutions adopted by participants during the workshop:

v  Participants insist on the need for the government to collaborate with various groups, including communities, civil society organizations and the media to carry out public awareness, social media campaigns to press home the need for government to complete abandoned projects that littered across the country, especially, projects that have direct bearing to the realization of the SDGs by 2030.

v  Participants called for community folks to protect social infrastructural projects, which are located at various communities and also take responsibility for ownership, instead of treating such projects and infrastructure as no man’s belongings.

v  Participants urge the citizens to pay their taxes promptly to attract development but warned against diversion of public funds by some politicians for other purposes that are not beneficial to the common good of the people.

v  Participants agreed to ask questions and speak out when projects sited at their communities are not properly executed.

v  Participants frowned about some traditional rulers and community leaders, who compromised by collecting kick backs at the detriment of their community’s good, leaving projects for the benefits of such communities undone.

v  Participants advocated for community- government (town hall) interface before budget preparations each year.

v  Participants called for a review of government fiscal policy policies to checkmate unnecessary wastages and frivolous expenditures.

Participants commended Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group and Oxfam in Nigeria for the training and urge both to spread the benefits of the training to other communities not present.

 Signed:

Nsefi Uduak Umoh                                        Akwa Ibom State

Ogunka Junior                                                 Rivers State

Adeyemi Folake Titilayo                                Delta State

Dame Nnamani Patricia                                  Enugu State

Pastor Edet Raymond                         NDEBUMOG/State Supritendent-Akwa Shadow Budget Groups

Preamble:

The two-day training for Government MDAs on Resource Mobilization, Responsive Fiscal Governance and Participatory Budget Process for Effective Service Delivery at the Sub-National Level attracted stakeholders under the Oxfam Financing for Development (F4D) Strategic Partnership, Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Oxfam Partners including Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group, Actionaid, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, KEBETKACHE Women Development and Resource Centre, and BudgIT under the Oxfam F4D Implementing states of Enugu, Rivers, Delta, and Lagos as well as the FCT, Abuja. The training was declared open by His Excellency, The Enugu State Governor, who was represented by Her Excellency, The Deputy Governor, Mrs. Celicia Ezeilo; In attendance were also the Secretary to the Enugu State Government Elder Dr. G.O.C Ajah (mni) who gave a welcome remark and also a good number of commissions from various Ministries in Enugu State. A representative of Oxfam Country Director, Mrs. Evelyn Mere Deputy Country Director, gave the opening remarks and training objectives.

Following the registration of participants, the Executive Director of NDEBUMOG, Dr George-Hill Anthony gave a presentation on Connecting the SDGs by Sub-National Governments: Perspectives on Enugu State as part of the official opening ceremony.

We,the 106 participants from Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) from Enugu, Delta, Lagos and Rivers States met in the training workshop organized by Oxfam Novib in conjunction with the Enugu State Government and other partners learnt and brainstormed on how to address the current challenges of resource mobilization, responsive fiscal governance and participatory budget process for effective service delivery at the subnational level.

Observations:

Participants at the workshop observed that:

1. This workshop is part of Oxfam’s Strategic Partnership Program – Financing for Development (F4DN-SP).
2. The delivery format of the workshop included ten (10) lead presentations followed by exhaustive discussions by the participants. The following lead presentations were made: a) Connecting the SDGs by Subnational Governments: Perspectives on Enugu State; b) Transformative Leadership as a Mechanism for Effective Service Delivery; c) Resource Mobilization: Non-Oil Economy for States in Nigeria; d) Intergovernmental Collaboration and Partnerships for Increased Resources Window for Development; e) Community Participation in PFEM: Creating Windows for Communities through Fiscal Inclusion at the States and LGs Level; f) Fiscal Governance and Service Delivery at Subnational Level: The Role of MDAs at the State Level; g) Making State Budgets Participatory and People-Centred; h) Taxation and Financing of the SDGs at the Subnational Level; i) Gender Responsive Budgeting; and j) Inequality in Nigeria.

Following the discussions and interactions, therefore, we the participants at the plenary adopt the following resolutions:

1. Subnational governments should, as a matter of urgency, work out strategies for improving service delivery by transforming its internal processes and providing exemplary leadership to the people.
2. We recognize that many subnational governments are already implementing many innovative governance reforms, for instance the Enugu State Visit Every Community (VEC) programme which is a needs assessment programme for giving voice to community development needs. However, there is the need to legitimize such frameworks by Acts of the Houses of Assembly in order to ensure sustainability.
3. Subnational governments in collaboration with communities and CSOs should evolve effective and institutionalized monitoring and evaluation frameworks/strategies for monitoring and/or evaluating the utilization of government resources. Subnational budgets should be made participatory, people-centred and gender-responsive (women, children, youth and the vulnerable).
4. Subnational governments should adopt best practices in promoting transparency and accountability in governance. Citizens and non-citizens need to demand that the budget and other fiscal documents be made open and posted at the public domain for easy monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes. Governments should optimize the potentials of ICTs in this regard.
5. We encourage subnational governments to engage in intergovernmental collaboration, especially at the regional level, to provide a solid platform to overcome the current squeeze occasioned by sharp drop in revenue. Joint projects/programmes by subnational governments can be designed to scale up investments to cover more communities as well as ensuring increased benefits to the citizens.
6. Subnational governments should develop smart strategies for formalizing the informal sector, particularly the non-oil sector. Governments need to provide active support to both SMEs and large industries, especially in the area of value chain development, in order to improve revenue mobilization and fiscal independence.
7. Subnational governments should put systems and strategies in place to ensure that our taxes work for the people, especially the poor. This will act as an incentive against tax avoidance. We seek tax reforms that promote an ICT database system, fair representation, transparency and progressive tax laws, policies and practices (e.g. tax to service agreements) capable of addressing poverty and inequality. Lagos State leadership in this respect is highly recognized and recommended for other states.
8. Finally, we are grateful to the training workshop funders/organizers and presenters and the staff and management of the Nike Lake Resort Hotel for their wonderful hospitality.

Preamble:

The two-day training for Government MDAs on Resource Mobilization, Responsive Fiscal Governance and Participatory Budget Process for Effective Service Delivery at the Sub-National Level attracted stakeholders under the Oxfam Financing for Development (F4D) Strategic Partnership, Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Oxfam Partners including Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group, Actionaid, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, KEBETKACHE Women Development and Resource Centre, and BudgIT under the Oxfam F4D Implementing states of Enugu, Rivers, Delta, and Lagos as well as the FCT, Abuja. The training was declared open by His Excellency, The Enugu State Governor, who was represented by Her Excellency, The Deputy Governor, Mrs. Celicia Ezeilo; In attendance were also the Secretary to the Enugu State Government Elder Dr. G.O.C Ajah (mni) who gave a welcome remark and also a good number of commissions from various Ministries in Enugu State. A representative of Oxfam Country Director, Mrs. Evelyn Mere Deputy Country Director, gave the opening remarks and training objectives.

Following the registration of participants, the Executive Director of NDEBUMOG, Dr George-Hill Anthony gave a presentation on Connecting the SDGs by Sub-National Governments: Perspectives on Enugu State as part of the official opening ceremony.

We,the 106 participants from Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) from Enugu, Delta, Lagos and Rivers States met in the training workshop organized by Oxfam Novib in conjunction with the Enugu State Government and other partners learnt and brainstormed on how to address the current challenges of resource mobilization, responsive fiscal governance and participatory budget process for effective service delivery at the subnational level.

Observations:

Participants at the workshop observed that:

1. This workshop is part of Oxfam’s Strategic Partnership Program – Financing for Development (F4DN-SP).
2. The delivery format of the workshop included ten (10) lead presentations followed by exhaustive discussions by the participants. The following lead presentations were made: a) Connecting the SDGs by Subnational Governments: Perspectives on Enugu State; b) Transformative Leadership as a Mechanism for Effective Service Delivery; c) Resource Mobilization: Non-Oil Economy for States in Nigeria; d) Intergovernmental Collaboration and Partnerships for Increased Resources Window for Development; e) Community Participation in PFEM: Creating Windows for Communities through Fiscal Inclusion at the States and LGs Level; f) Fiscal Governance and Service Delivery at Subnational Level: The Role of MDAs at the State Level; g) Making State Budgets Participatory and People-Centred; h) Taxation and Financing of the SDGs at the Subnational Level; i) Gender Responsive Budgeting; and j) Inequality in Nigeria.

Following the discussions and interactions, therefore, we the participants at the plenary adopt the following resolutions:

1. Subnational governments should, as a matter of urgency, work out strategies for improving service delivery by transforming its internal processes and providing exemplary leadership to the people.
2. We recognize that many subnational governments are already implementing many innovative governance reforms, for instance the Enugu State Visit Every Community (VEC) programme which is a needs assessment programme for giving voice to community development needs. However, there is the need to legitimize such frameworks by Acts of the Houses of Assembly in order to ensure sustainability.
3. Subnational governments in collaboration with communities and CSOs should evolve effective and institutionalized monitoring and evaluation frameworks/strategies for monitoring and/or evaluating the utilization of government resources. Subnational budgets should be made participatory, people-centred and gender-responsive (women, children, youth and the vulnerable).
4. Subnational governments should adopt best practices in promoting transparency and accountability in governance. Citizens and non-citizens need to demand that the budget and other fiscal documents be made open and posted at the public domain for easy monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes. Governments should optimize the potentials of ICTs in this regard.
5. We encourage subnational governments to engage in intergovernmental collaboration, especially at the regional level, to provide a solid platform to overcome the current squeeze occasioned by sharp drop in revenue. Joint projects/programmes by subnational governments can be designed to scale up investments to cover more communities as well as ensuring increased benefits to the citizens.
6. Subnational governments should develop smart strategies for formalizing the informal sector, particularly the non-oil sector. Governments need to provide active support to both SMEs and large industries, especially in the area of value chain development, in order to improve revenue mobilization and fiscal independence.
7. Subnational governments should put systems and strategies in place to ensure that our taxes work for the people, especially the poor. This will act as an incentive against tax avoidance. We seek tax reforms that promote an ICT database system, fair representation, transparency and progressive tax laws, policies and practices (e.g. tax to service agreements) capable of addressing poverty and inequality. Lagos State leadership in this respect is highly recognized and recommended for other states.
8. Finally, we are grateful to the training workshop funders/organizers and presenters and the staff and management of the Nike Lake Resort Hotel for their wonderful hospitality.

Available on request

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) released its second (2005) Audit Report of the (Nigerian) extractive industries in 2009. Our Regional Accountability Centre was to set-up an internal team to carry-out this Special (Independent) Report on the 2005 Audit, as this report is now available to our critical partners and other stakeholders beyond borders. We commend NEITI’s NSWG for releasing the report as originally factualized by the Hart Nurse & S.S. Afemikhe which conducted the audit as a Group. Regrettably though, NEITI’s NSWG withheld and froze some (sensitive) elements of the report for reasons not known by the larger Civil Society partners of NEITI and against principles of the EITI global family at a time Nigeria is in dire need of EITI Validation.

A TEXT OF THE COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF A ONE-DAY SENSITIZATION WORKSHOP ON THE ROLE OF THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT IN THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CORRUPTION IN THE SOUTH-SOUTH ZONE, DURING THE 4TH PHASE OF THE PUBLIC SENSITIZATION PROGRAMME ON THE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ACT, HELD AT THE PRECIOUS PALM ROYAL HOTEL, ON THE 9TH OF AUGUST 2012, AT BENIN CITY, EDO STATE NIGERIA.
Preamble:
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) through its appointed facilitator, organized the fourth phase public sensitisation on the Public Procurement Act. The event was held at the Precious Palm Royal Hotel, Ugbowo, Benin City, Edo State on Thursday, the 9th of August, 2012.
The event was attended by the Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) who was represented by Mr. Anthony Ikpor (Director-Research, Training and Strategic Planning of the Bureau). Others were, the Special Assistant to the Edo State Governor on NGOs, Mrs Isimene Whyte, Special Assistant to the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Ms Angela Onwaeze, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 5 Benin City, who was represented by ACP Adeleye Oyebade, representative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Ehiorobo Okonkwo, the Honourable Commissioner for Economic Planning, Delta State, who was represented by Mr. Emeka Okonkwo. Edo State Commissioner of Police and the State House of Assembly, were also represented at the event. Six (6) Secondary Schools, Contractors, Consultants, Women Groups, Persons with Disabilities, NGOs, Youth Groups and NYSC members, the Media, amongst others, were also in attendance. Participants at the programme were over 600.
The sensitisation was to enlighten contractors, public servants, consultants, politicians, civil society organisations, professional bodies and associations, together with the general South-South stakeholders on the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007. It was an opportunity to interact with the general public from the zone on how they can take maximum advantage of the law to compete effectively in national procurements. The papers presented include the following.
The first paper was presented by Dr Sofiri Joab-Peterside, Acting Executive Director-Centre for Advanced Social Science (CASS), Port Harcourt, which was titled: Fighting Corruption in the Niger Delta through the Bureau of Public Procurement ACT: Perspectives on Best Practices.
The second paper was presented by Barr. Chima Williams of Environmental Rights Action, Benin City. It was titled: Linking Edo State Citizens to the Edo State Public Procurement Act 2012: Entry Points for Citizens of Edo State.
The third presentation, which was delivered by Mr Alabi Williams of The Guardian Newspapers was titled: Interlocking the Media in the Campaign Against Corruption through the Public Procurement Act, 2007.
The forum resolved, amongst other, that:
1.     The sensitization workshop is timely at this point in our political evolution.
2.     Nigerians should acquaint themselves with the public procurement laws of the federal and respective state governments, to enable them engage government and other stakeholders effectively.
3.     The need for citizens of Edo state in particular and the south-south in general to play active role in ensuring effective government compliance with the public procurement laws.
4.     The media should leave up to its traditional role of watch-dog in a Democracy.
5.     Effective compliance with the public procurement law at the federal and state levels is indispensible towards ensuring success in the fight against corruption.
6.     Sensitization workshops of this nature should be sustained and held more frequently, especially at the grassroots.
Signed:
George-Hill Anthony
Lead Zonal Coordinator
Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (Port Harcourt)
(Regional Accountability Centre)


Austin Osakue
Foundation for Good Governance and Social Change (Benin City)
Chairman, Communiqué Drafting Committee.
Adopted at Benin City on Thurdsay 9th August, 2012.

PREAMBLE:
The two-day budget enhancement training workshop attracted stakeholders from NDEBUMOG partners, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the Media and a Representative of the Cross River State Government. Papers presented at the workshop included: (1) Gender Sensitive Budgeting: The Gaps, Realities and Way Forward, (2) Public Procurement and Bidding Process of Government: Experience Sharing and Way Forward, (3) Introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation, (4) Public Finance Expenditure Monitoring
The Complications, Intrigues and Advocacy for Best Practice, and (5) Introduction to Budget Tracking and Fiscal Methodologies of Government. Participants were drawn from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers State, being States who are beneficiaries to the “ Deepening Expenditure Line Tracking for States and Local Governments in the Niger Delta (DELT4SLOG II)”, project, currently being implemented by the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), with the support of Oxfam Novib.
The Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State on Budget Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr. Peter Oti, who declared the workshop open, outlined some of the successes recorded by the state government.
While participants commended the Cross River State Government for institutionalizing the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), and participatory budget performance appraisal in the state, they observed that there is still room for improvement and expansion of scope.
OBSERVATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS
Participants at the workshop observed that:
1. Some States in the Niger Delta do not have a Public Procurement and Fiscal Responsibility Laws; while others that have the law, do not have Civil Society component to enhance monitoring and evaluation.
2. Budgets, as presently formulated and implemented, across some states in the Niger Delta, are not people-centered.
3. Budget monitoring and evaluation is critical to development. Governments in the region (Niger Delta) should put in place a structure in all the MDAs, which is to involve relevant stakeholders within the Budget framework.
4. The Civil Society, Media and other relevant stakeholders should step-up efforts towards carrying out oversight functions on budget monitoring and evaluation.
4. There is inadequate knowledge of the (pro-poor) Budget Processes among the Lawmakers across the States in the Niger Delta.
5. There is dearth of technical capacity and knowledge amongst CSOs, CBOs and the private sector, with regards to engagement with the budgetary process.
6. The budget process (in states across the Niger Delta) is shrouded in secrecy, and is neither transparent nor participatory.
7.  There is little awareness among the citizenry, on the budgetary process and government programmes. 8. There is lack of sincerity in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the budgetary process (in states across the region).
RECOMMENDATIONS
To the Government:
1. It is not enough for Governments in the region to domesticate the Public Procurement and the Fiscal Responsibility Law; they should ensure effective implementation of the law.
2. The Budget Office across the States in region, in collaboration with Ministry of information and other relevant MDAs and Stakeholders, should embark on citizen’s enlightenment on the budgetary process.
3. In line with best practices to Call Circulars at various levels, CSOs should be included in the Sector Planning Teams (SPT) of MDAs in Niger Delta States.
4. The budgetary process should be made more transparent and participatory.
5. The Directorate of Project Monitoring and Evaluation should involve CSOs and the Media in project monitoring and evaluation.
6. Governments in the region should ensure that their budgets are gender-sensitive, with indicators for tracking, to cater for all segments of the society
7. All Stakeholders should try and limit, or minimize undue political interference on the budgetary process.
To Civil Society Organizations and Media
1. Civil Society, the Media and the people should demand that governments in the region, comply with the provisions of the Public Procurement and the Fiscal Responsibility Laws, to bring about good governance, transparency and accountability, and win the confidence of the people.
2. Civil Society and the Media should participate in all stages of the budget process in the Niger Delta states, such as Budget Formulation, Legislative Review and Approval, Budget Implementation and Feedback, as well as Budget Audit and Review; to ensure transparency, fiscal probity and value for money.
3. CSOs should improve their technical capacity on Policy and Budget Analysis, to effectively engage government on pro-poor policies.
4. CSOs should canvass for a Joint Donor Basket for Budget Monitoring, Evaluation and Tracking.
At the end of the workshop, participants commended NDEBUMOG for organizing the training and also Oxfam Novib for their support.

Signed:
Opaka Dokubo
Chairman-Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ-Rivers State)
Alagoa Morris
Representative-Bayelsa State Non-Governmental Organizations Forum (BANGOF)
George-Hill Anthony
Executive Director-Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG)

PREAMBLE
At the instance of the Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre, a 2 day training workshop on Public Finance Expenditure and Budget Monitoring was held at the Monty Suites, Uyo on the 13th and 14th of June, 2013. The workshop was attended by a cross section of women, who have earlier been trained as democracy monitors from the three senatorial districts of Akwa Ibom State, comprising: Eket, Uyo and Ikot Ekpene senatorial districts.  The training, which was funded by Oxfam Novib, seeks to impact knowledge on the women on budget monitoring and evaluation, as well as promote the participation of women in governance.
Over 40 participants, including representatives of community women groups, several other women leaders and civil society organizations spread across special thematic interests covering: youths, children, grassroots women and women leaders of ethnic nationalities in Akwa Ibom State attended the training.
A team of resource persons from the Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG Regional Accountability Centre) facilitated the training.