Gombe Government, Civil Society Strengthen Push for Citizen-Centred Budgeting
By Auwal Umar, Gombe
The Gombe State Government and civil society organisations have renewed their commitment to promoting citizen participation, transparency and accountability in the state’s budget and development processes.
Director of Budget Muhammad Adamu, who represented the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, stated this while speaking during the presentation of the 2025 Citizens’ Accountability Report to civil society organisations and community leaders across the Gombe North and Gombe South Senatorial Districts on Friday.
Adamu said the report reflected the government’s commitment to transparent, accountable and responsive governance, describing it as an important tool for building public confidence and strengthening the relationship between government and citizens. He urged participants to ask questions, make constructive contributions and provide feedback capable of improving public resource management and service delivery.
The engagement, organised by the Gombe State Civil Society Network (GONET), brought together government officials, civil society organisations, community leaders, youth representatives and members of the media to deliberate on budget accountability and citizens’ participation in governance.
Chairman of GONET, Ambassador Ibrahim Yusuf, said continuous engagement with citizens was improving accountability and communication between government and communities. He said the network was promoting constructive dialogue rather than simply blaming government, by providing citizens with information about policies, budgets and development projects.
Yusuf explained that GONET also serves as a platform for citizens to communicate their needs and priorities to government, creating a two-way engagement that has contributed to the inclusion of some community-driven projects in government budgets.
He said GONET would sustain its engagement with communities until information gaps and misconceptions between citizens and government were substantially reduced.
Also speaking, youth advocate from Billiri Local Government Area, Joy Haida, described citizen participation in budgeting and development planning as crucial to strengthening cooperation between communities and government.
Haida said the 2025 Citizens’ Accountability Report showed that some issues raised by citizens had been reflected in ongoing infrastructure projects, including road construction. She, however, called for effective implementation of identified projects across communities, stressing that successful delivery would boost public confidence and promote inclusive development.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Ward Development Committee (WDC) in Bare Local Government Area, Muhammad Jonh Tarasu, urged the Gombe State Government and GONET to take citizen engagement on the budget directly to grassroots communities across the state.
Tarasu said taking the engagement to the grassroots would empower citizens, community leaders and WDCs to understand government budgets, monitor projects and demand accountability.
He commended GONET for its efforts and called for wider participation to strengthen government-community relations, improve transparency and enhance service delivery and development across Gombe State.
