Group Vows To Ensure Public Funds Benefit Nigerians

The Civil Society Budget Implementation Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (CBIAMEC) has pledged to intensify monitoring of government budgets and promote greater transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony for its new executive members yesterday in Abuja, the newly elected national coordinator of CBIAMEC, Comrade Patrick Ogheneyero, said the new leadership would prioritise the effective utilisation of public funds and ensure that government budgets translated into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

Ogheneyero described his mandate as a call to service, accountability, integrity and collective action, stressing that the success of a budget should not be judged solely by what is appropriated but by what is actually implemented and the impact on citizens.

He said CBIAMEC would promote evidence-based budget assessment, monitoring and evaluation, citizen participation, transparency and accountability across the country.

According to him, the committee would scrutinise whether appropriated funds were released and properly utilised, whether projects were executed according to specifications and whether intended beneficiaries received the expected benefits.

“These are not political questions. They are questions of responsible citizenship and good governance,” he said.

The national coordinator listed grassroots monitoring, evidence-based reporting, citizen engagement, transparency and accountability, capacity building, and the use of technology and data among the major priorities of his administration.

He said budget monitoring must go beyond offices, conferences and reports to the communities where government projects and programmes were being implemented.

He added that the organisation would strengthen collaboration among civil society organisations, community leaders, professional bodies, the media, academia, development partners and relevant government institutions.

Addressing the committee’s relationship with government, Ogheneyero said CBIAMEC was not established to fight government but to strengthen accountability and improve governance.

He explained that the organisation would acknowledge and commend good performance, objectively identify implementation gaps and make constructive recommendations while maintaining its independence.

“Where citizens’ interests are being neglected, we must speak courageously but responsibly,” he said.

Ogheneyero said the committee would pursue constructive engagement, evidence-based advocacy and principled accountability rather than unnecessary confrontation.

Earlier, the chairman of the Organising Committee, Comrade Ofomhi Christopher, said the inauguration was more than the installation of a new executive, describing it as a renewal of civil society’s commitment to transparency, accountability and responsible management of public resources.

Christopher said CBIAMEC had an important responsibility to monitor government programmes and projects, assess their implementation and evaluate their impact on citizens.

He urged the newly inaugurated executive members to regard their positions as a call to service rather than privilege.

He added that the same scrutiny should be applied to allocations for healthcare, roads, water, security and social development to determine whether public expenditure was producing value for money.

The organising committee chairman further called for stronger collaboration between CBIAMEC, government institutions, the National Assembly, professional bodies, development partners, the media and other civil society organisations.