Abbas Bamalli
The former Katsina State House of Assembly Speaker, Alhaji Ya’u Gwajo-Gwajo, has commended the state government for initiating a community-driven budget for the 2026 fiscal year.
Gwajo-Gwajo, who is also the Special Adviser to Gov. Dikko Radda on political matters, made the commendation in a statement in Katsina on Saturday.
On November 4, the governor presented about N897.8 billion proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year, before the state assembly.
Gwajo-Gwajo said that thas was the first time committees were set up to go round the 361 wards in the state to write down the needs and requests of the people for inclusion in the budget.
“The projects requested by the communities cut across education, healthcare, agriculture, works, security, environment, and other key sectors, aimed at transforming rural and urban communities in the state.
“This is the first time in the history of the state when members of communities are given a chance to tell the government their needs for inclusion in the budget.
“This is the best way to capture the genuine needs of the people which promotes inclusive governance,” Gwajo-Gwajo said.
He added that people in communities are very happy that for the first time the government has given them a voice, prioritised their needs, and prepared a budget based on that.
“This initiative truly reflects the leadership qualities of the governor, through the knowledge and practical models of development which has made it possible for him to fulfill his campaign promises less than two years into his tenure,” he said.
According to him, by the end of the 2026 fiscal year, each of the 361 wards in the state will get multiple projects based on their “peculiar areas of need” as reflected in the requests they made to the budget compilation committee.
Gwajo-Gwajo also commented on the governor for setting aside 81 per cent of the budget for capital expenditure, while recurrent expenditure stands at 19 per cent.
He pointed out that this reflected the resolve of the government to minimise the cost of governance while prioritising sectors that will directly impact on the lives of the people.
While appealing to the state assembly for the speedy passage of the proposed budget, he urged residents to continue to support the government in its desire to drive people-oriented policies and programmes.