ASABA/Nigeria: The Delta State Government has proposed to establish 19 new Technical Colleges and functional vocational centre in each local government area in the State.
The State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Dr Kingsley Emu, made the disclosure in Asaba at a one-day citizen’s engagement forum on Delta State 2019 Budget to sensitize Deltans on the implementation of the Budget.
Dr Emu stated that the technical and vocational courses would be made compulsory as a requirement for graduation from polytechnics in the state.
According to Dr Emu, the 2019 budget will promote sustenance for massive investment in physical and social infrastructure development of the environment through urban renewal, vocational education through skill acquisition and strategic efforts to create wealth for all Deltans.
The Commissioner further disclosed that in the 2019 budget, the state government has earmarked N79.6bn for road infrastructure, N26.8bn for the education sub sector, N8.6bn for the health sector, N3.9bn for the development of the sport and N1.6bn for the water sub-sector.
He mentioned the role of citizens in the implementation of the budget to include monitoring government projects and reporting of observations that require government interventions, protection of public facilities including oil and gas installations as well as provision of information to security agencies in case of breach of the peace in any communities.
Others are reporting community needs to government irrespective of where the needs are situated and regular payment of taxes and other relevant rates.
The functioning Permanent Secretary and Director of Budget in the ministry , Mr Monday Onyenbuike stated that the gesture was to enable Deltans actively contribute and give meaningful suggestions on the way forward in the implementation of the 2019 budget.
According to Mr Onyenbuike, “This forum is important as your comments, queries and suggestions will help government in making informed decision during the implementation of the 2019 budget so that Deltans will continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy.”
He noted that participatory budgeting was a contemporary decision-making process through which citizens deliberate and negotiate the distribution of public resources, saying “In this regard, citizens play a direct role in deciding how and where resources should be spent.”
Some participants who spoke at the occasion commended the state government for the massive infrastructural development in the state and pleaded that the citizen engagement forum should be extended to ministries to engage the citizens in budget planning and implementation
