Nelson Utip
Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has identified infrastructure development, human capital development, economic diversification and job creation as major priorities in the 2027 budget.
He disclosed this while declaring open the 2027 Budget Consultative Forum for the Southern Senatorial District, where government officials, traditional institutions, civil society organisations, professional groups, the private sector and other stakeholders gathered to contribute to the budget process. The forum sat at Hogis Royale, Calabar Municipality over tge weekend.
Represented by Dr Bong Duke, the Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the State Planning Commission, he said his administration would also place emphasis on social protection and inclusion, as well as strengthening the state’s revenue generation capacity.
He said that the state would sustain the gains already recorded in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), while deploying automation and improved efficiency to further expand its revenue base.
“Our revenue base has shown unprecedented improvement, and we are targeting further growth through automation and enhanced efficiency,” Otu said.
He explained that the consultative forum was designed to allow citizens to participate directly in determining the priorities of government and shaping how public resources would be generated and expended.
“This forum is giving the people the opportunity to lend a voice to the budget process, to tell us how income will be generated and how taxpayers’ money should be spent.” He said.
Otu emphasized on revenue generation as the state government seeks to strengthen its fiscal capacity and ensure that increased public revenue translates into improved service delivery and development across the state.
Governor Otu’s position was re echoed by the Permanent Secretary, Department of Budget, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Peter Uklala, who commended stakeholders for participating in the forum.
He said the broad representation of stakeholders underscored the importance of collective participation in the preparation of the 2027 budget.
The Permanent Secretary, Department of Budget, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Peter Uklala delivering his welcome remark.
He further acknowledged the longstanding partnership between the state government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), describing the organisation as an important partner in the state’s development efforts.
The PS also said that the forum demonstrates the Governor’s commitment to participatory governance, transparency, accountability and inclusive development.
“Their contributions and recommendations and constructive critiques will enrich the budgeting process and help us produce a realistic, responsive and implemented tge budget.” He said.
He called on participants to make constructive contributions to enable the government to identify the most pressing needs of communities within the Southern Senatorial District and incorporate them into the 2027 budget planning process.
The Southern Senatorial District forum is part of the state government’s broader consultative process to ensure that the 2027 budget reflects citizens’ priorities and aspirations while strengthening accountability in the management of public resources.
In his speech at Forum, The Coordinator of the Cross River State Civil Society Network, Ben Usang, commended the Department of Budget for sustaining the consultative exercise across the state’s senatorial districts.
He called for the extension of the consultations to the local government level to deepen grassroots participation in the budget process.
Usang pledged the Network’s continued support for the successful implementation of the budget process and urged stakeholders to provide greater support to the Department of Budget to enable it to effectively carry out its mandate.
