Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has under score the importance of people participatory in governance, saying that it will aid development and even Distribution of Projects across the nooks and crannies of the State.
Prince Abiodun, said this at the Ogun East Senatorial District town hall meeting on the 2020 Budget held in Ijebu-Igbo u Ode
He said, "it is important that the people for whom government holds mandate in trust also have a say, especially as it is all about them" .
"Apart from the fact that this Town Hall meeting is a way to meet with the good people of Ogun State, it will also help us to achieve a strategic allocation of resources towards the projects and programmes that will have the optimum impact on the people"
" As a result, we will achieve sustainable development because the people themselves are the initiators of the development plan. It is, therefore, easier to sustain and maintain such projects for the continued development of our dear State because the people have taken the ownership of the process and the projects".
Abiodun noted that " it is important that the government carries the people along when making crucial decisions, most especially those that affect the people, such as the budget preparation" .
"This Town hall meeting, therefore, is a symbolic representation of our administrations commitment towards inclusiveness, people-centred and participatory governance. We strongly believe that governance should be a participatory process and an inclusive one".
"Achieving the Ogun State of our dreams will require the inputs of all; it is our belief that the people should have a say on issues that concern them and they should, therefore, be allowed to take their rightful place in the governance process. This is the main reason for the hosting of this Town Hall Meeting", the Governor affirmed .
"As a responsible, responsive and focussed administration, we understand the stress and how it feels not to be part of the decision making. That situation puts, at a more disadvantage, our women and youths who form the higher percentage of our population and a vital segment for any sustainable development plan.
"We believe that, in doing this, our budget preparation will be more inclusive towards rekindling the hopes of our people and reawakening their confidence in their government".
"It strengthens the bond between the government and the people Government and people becoming the two sides of the same coin, rather than two different entities. This is the partnership that drives sustainable development".
"To demonstrate our commitment to this partnership, our Administration requested that our Local Governments and communities select the primary schools, primary health-centres, and the roads they considered most important to attract immediate attention in each of the 236 wards across our dear State. I am delighted to note that some of these primary schools, health-centres and roads will attract immediate intervention, in line with the expressed priorities of the people. This is in addition to governments identified projects that will be spread across the three Senatorial Districts of our dear State".
The governor assured that the town hall meeting will not just be a talk shop, government will take copious notes of all comments, recommendations, proposals and even critique, during the interactive session that will follow.
"Your views and inputs will be incorporated into the 2020 Budget estimates and will subsequently manifest in desired outcomes in each of the three Senatorial districts."
"I wish to reiterate that you own this government; the government is all about you. Therefore, I enjoin the people of the Ogun Central and Ogun West Senatorial Districts to also look forward to similar town hall meetings and be prepared to take maximum advantage of the platform and come out, in large numbers, to express your views and aspirations".
"Let me also call on all relevant Stakeholders to continue to cooperate with us and hand-in-hand, we will walk this path to glory and achieve the Ogun State of our collective dream" he concluded.
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