Emure community hosts 2013 Ekiti budget retreat

Emure-Ekiti, headquarters of EmureLocal Government Area of Ekiti State, has played host to the 2013 fiscal budget preparation in Ekiti State.The two-day workshop would see the Ekiti State budget officials tutored by experts on modern budget preparation and equip them with the new techniques of budget preparation.Governor Kayode Fayemi, who was represented on the occasion by the Head of Service, Mr. Olubunmi Famosaya, observed that the issue of budget had gone beyond a political issue, noting that the people would always be allowed to make contributions to budget preparation in the state.Famosaya explained that budget would henceforth be prioritized in the state and implementation of same would be ensured.Famosaya recalled that the House of Representatives threatened to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan for inappropriate implantation of the budget at expected pace, saying the state would not toy with implementation of the fiscal budget to the best percentage.He, however, declared that the 2011 fiscal budget really had positive impact in the lives of the people of the state.Addressing newsmen at the Town Hall venue of the event, the state Commissioner for Budget Planning, Mr. Debo Ajayi, disclosed that the state was working towards departing from the old style of budget increase annually, explaining that the new budget would be done based on the feasible projections of the government.He revealed that the new budget would include projects that would be implemented within a year and those that would take a long term.Ajayi explained that the state officials would be taught by erudite economists on principle of budgeting covering medium, short term and long term.He stated that the state would come with a new framework which would see each budget hinged on a clean slate that would include planning and costing.The commissioner assured that after the training it would be possible for the state to include in its budget indicators that would enable the state and the people to assess the level of implementation and impact of the budget on the economy of the state at the end of each fiscal year.He explained that this would make it possible for government to know what grey areas to give serious attention in the next fiscal budget.Ajayi revealed that the requests and outcome of the Town Hall meetings held in all the 16 local governments in the state had been documented and would be made public before long.He disclosed another Town Hall meetings would be conducted this year before the preparation of the 2013 fiscal budget in a bid to inject projects that are priorities of the people.Though Ajayi noted that some of the requests of the communities varied and multiyear in nature, he explained some of them would take some period of years to complete.
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