Stakeholders in Ekiti State informal sector have resolved to monitor the implementation of over N10 billion projects, being part of the state 2024 budget.
The Ekiti State Tax for Service said the move was to ensure the appropriate use of tax and guarantee tax payment to the government.
The chairman of the group, Prof. Christopher Oluwadare said the state cargo airports is included in the projects in which N10.194 billion has been earmarked for execution for the year.
Oluwadare spoke in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, during the media engagement and the launch of the group powered by the New Initiative for Social Development (NISD) in conjunction with the UK International Development and Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room.
He said five sub-groups within the group have been set up to monitor the projects which cut across ministry, department and agencies designed in line with the 6 pillars of the development agenda of Governor Oyebanji’s administration.
The Artisans group, he said, is to work on various projects amounting to N1,800, 000,000.00 that will benefit the state in the areas of economic emancipation, youth and women empowerment as well as education improvement.
The group comprising Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Iyalojas, EKCIMMA, Traditional Chiefs and FIDA are saddled with the responsibility of tracking projects totaling N3, 556,000,000.00 which will positively impact on the people of the state in the area of inclusion promotion, food production, youth empowerment, economic growth, improved water, sanitation and hygiene.
“For the Civil Society Organisations, the projects that will benefit the residents as far as protection of HIV victims, public awareness on HIV, poverty reduction, improved healthcare services and delivery, GBV awareness, support services for GBV victims, justice access for survivors are concerned worth 500,546,241.34 naira are to be monitored.
“The hoteliers/saw millers group is mandated to monitor projects with 2,907,000,000.00 naira to be expended were identified to benefit the state in the area of promotion of hospitality industry, economic growth, tourism and business attraction, agriculture and rural development and agro- forest investment.
“Those in the NUT group are to work on the different education development projects of the state which has the sum of 1,430,600,000,000.00 naira for monitoring,” the chairman said.
Oluwadare added that taxes collected from the people should be able to speak for them in the budget, noting that how government spend tax-payers’ money will motivate them to pay their taxes regularly through project they can see.
“The tax for service group promotes government vision and programmes and revenue in the state that did not depend on allocation or subversion from the Federal Government.”
Recall that Governor Oyebanji had last October presented a budget estimate of N159, 572,481,915.61 to the state House of Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year.
Out of this, the sum of N71, 994,898,233.20 was proposed for capital expenditure N87, 577,583,682.41 was earmarked as recurrent expenditure in the budget.
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