Gombe Citizens’ Engagement Drives Greater Accountability in 2025 Budget Implementation
By Auwal Abdullah
Gombe State Network of Civil Society (GONET) has said sustained citizen engagement is helping to strengthen accountability, improve communication and bridge the gap between government and residents in the state.
The Chairman of the network, Ibrahim Yusuf , disclosed this during a citizen engagement and presentation of the 2025 accountability report in Billiri Local Government Area (LGA) of Gombe State.
Yusuf said the initiative was designed to move beyond the culture of blaming government by bringing relevant information about government policies, budgets and projects closer to citizens.
He explained that the civil society network also serves as a channel for communicating the concerns and priorities of ordinary citizens to government, creating a two-way engagement between the leadership and communities.
According to him, the approach has produced measurable progress in budgetary processes, particularly by ensuring that projects reflecting citizens’ aspirations are captured in government budgets.
“From the citizens, we are trying to break the culture of blaming our leadership by bringing information of government closer to the people,” Yusuf said.
He added that the network would sustain the engagement until misconceptions and information gaps between citizens and government are significantly reduced.
Also speaking, a youth advocate from Billiri LGA, Joy Haida, described citizen participation in budgeting and planning as a significant step towards strengthening cooperation between government and communities.
Haida said involving ordinary citizens in development planning allows government to understand their priorities and incorporate their views into policies and projects.
She said the 2025 report showed that some demands raised by citizens were reflected in ongoing infrastructure projects, particularly road construction.
“Here in Pele Local Government, I can see the roads have been commenced. There is serious road work going on at the moment, which is a good thing,” she said.
Haida, however, stressed the need for effective implementation across other communities, saying successful execution of identified projects would benefit both citizens and government.
She expressed optimism that continued engagement and proper implementation would strengthen public confidence in government programmes and promote inclusive development across Gombe State.
