Sociopolitical pressure group, Network for Defense of Democracy and Good Governance – NDDGG has called on the Rivers Assembly House of Assembly to show due diligence by subjecting the 2022 appropriation bill before the house to lay down legislative procedure by conducting a proper public hearing with inputs from relevant stakeholders before its passage into law.
NDDGG in a statement by its leader, Amb Sobomabo Jackrich said the 2022 budget lacks a realizable actionable plan to reinvent the state economy and ensure human capital development and infrastructural spread across the state, adding subjecting the budget to the public hearing will show that the state assembly is honest and open to probity.
The statement accused the Rivers State House of Assembly of being cowed to failure and reneging in their duty on behalf of their constituents to bring the state government to account, expressing regret that members of the state assembly may go ahead and pass the budget wholesale as according to him had always been the case.
Governor Wike during the budget presentation of over 483Billion Naira said it will be used for the completion of ongoing projects in the state, but the group in the statement insisted the budget is without specific details and figures.
The NDDGG, therefore, faulted the budgeting process in the state for what they said alienated stakeholders and citizens from participating in the process and therefore challenged the state government to make public the budget when passed into law.
Sobombo Jackrich equally expressed regret that the incoming financial year will herald another season of falsehood for the people of Rivers State whom he said have been subjected to secrecy in governance by an absolutist administration of Governor Wike who would ensure for the seventh year to run Rivers State without an accessible budget for citizen participation and stakeholder engagement.
