Tracka has raised concerns over the non-disclosure of budget details for the ₦100 billion Zonal Intervention Project (ZIP) outlined in the 2024 Federal Government budget.
The platform, which allows citizens to track and provide feedback on public projects, has called on the Budget Office of the Nigerian Federation to release the budgetary specifics.
In previous years, the details of the Zonal Intervention Project were readily available on the Budget Office of the Federation’s website for public access.
However, despite the budget being signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on January 1, 2024, the allocation of the ₦100 billion remains undisclosed. This lack of transparency undermines accountability, as citizens and oversight bodies are unable to monitor the effective utilization of public funds.
Country Director of BudgIT, Gabriel Okeowo, expressed disappointment over the delay, emphasizing the importance of making fiscal documents available to the public for a transparent budget implementation process.
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He stressed that the absence of these documents could lead to citizens being uninformed about the government’s fiscal accounts and budget implementation, potentially resulting in the mismanagement of taxpayer funds.
Tracka urges the Budget Office of the Federation, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take action and publish detailed information on the Zonal Intervention Projects and other fiscal documents for easy access to members of the public, as stipulated by the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.