BY JULIET EKWENUGO
Kaduna
Stakeholders in the education sector in Kaduna State have been trained on how to track, monitor and audit government spending on education projects through the Citizens Participatory Audit (CPA) framework aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and improved service delivery.
The one-day training was organised by the Civic Impact for Sustainable Development Foundation in collaboration with the Office of the Auditor General for Kaduna State, with support from YouthHubAfrica.
The Kaduna State Auditor General, Abubakar Abdullahi, commended the collaboration with civil society organisations, describing them as key partners in promoting transparency and accountability in public finance management.
He noted that information provided by civil society groups often supports the work of the Auditor General’s office, adding that the establishment of a desk officer for citizen engagement would further strengthen collaboration between government and communities in monitoring public projects.
Also speaking, the executive director of the Civic Impact for Sustainable Development Foundation, Yusuf Goje, said the training would empower citizens to actively verify government spending in the education sector and determine whether projects deliver value for money.
“It is not only about government releasing funds or building schools. Together with citizens and the Office of the Auditor General, we will visit project locations to ascertain whether there is value for money for every kobo spent in the education sector”.
Goje added that participants drawn from civil society organisations and government institutions were expected to return to their communities to create awareness and encourage greater citizen participation in governance.
Speaking during the training, Program Officer at YouthHubAfrica, Doowuese Indyer, said the initiative was designed to equip education stakeholders with the knowledge and skills required to identify school needs and effectively participate in the State’s education budgeting process.
According to her, the training also introduced participants to the Community Participatory Audit (CPA) framework, which enables citizens to track, monitor and analyse education budget allocations and expenditures in Kaduna State.
“The objective of this training is to build the capacity of education stakeholders in Kaduna State on how to identify and collect school needs in their various communities”.
Indyer explained that participants were also exposed to practical approaches for analysing government spending in the education sector to ensure that resources allocated for projects are properly utilised.
She noted that findings from a citizens’ perception survey conducted last year revealed that many people at the grassroots level had lost interest in the budgeting process due to a lack of trust in governance systems.
According to her, although young people constituted about 60 per cent of the respondents in the survey and dominate Nigeria’s population demographically, participation in governance processes remains low largely because many believe their voices do not influence decision-making.
