UNDP forum tasks govt on transparency in budgeting, development

GOVERNMENTS at all levels in Nigeria have been advised to employ the use of transparency in budgeting and development among communities as a tool to prevent conflicts and project dumping in the country.This was the position of participants at a recently held three days workshop organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), in Port Harcourt. The workshop was held to raise awareness among state legislators and executive officers on the need for more involvement of thepeople in the development projects meant for their areas.With focus on the prevention of conflicts arising from project execution in the country, the workshop sought to raise awareness among principal state officials on how they can henceforth, involve the communities in the execution of projects in their areas in such a way that will not fuel crisis such as the situation with the location of the federal government university that is currently generating conflicts between Oye and Ikole communities in Ekiti State, as well as some other examples across the nation.Resource persons as well as participants at the Port Harcourt workshop, therefore, advised government on the use of transparency in the budgeting system as well as the involvement of the people in the project initiation in order to avoid conflicts.It was the opinionof the workshop, that when government allows the people to have an input into the budgeting system and the kind of development projects that are sited in their areas, the probability of such projects becoming abandoned or generating conflicts is minimised besides the fact that the community's sense of ownership of the project ensures its sustainability.Participants were made to understand the need to consult the people and the communities before development projects are executed in order to reduce instances of abandoned projects and conflicts.
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