The governorship candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) in Bauchi State, Ahmed Umar-Farouk has promised to implement a people oriented budget, if elected in the upcoming general election.
Umar-Farouk stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Bauchi.
He said the initiative was imperative to promote people engagement in budget processes for sustainable social and economic development of the state.
According to him, the budget of the state has been flawed due to the ability of the successive administrations to engage relevant stakeholders in budget processes to ensure allocation of adequate funds to each sector.
He decried the dearth of civic education among Nigerians, noting that the trend impeded their abilities to hold government and leaders to account.
To address the problem, he said, the RPP government would initiate sound programmes to enhance civic education to enable the citizenry to know their rights over the government and elected representatives.
“People must be educated to know their rights; an educated society is doomed to fail.
“Unfortunately; this is what our successive leaders in the state bequeath to our generation yet unborn.
“Our target is to inform the common man what are his rights over the government, and what are those rights of the government over him?
“As a free citizen of a country or state, you owe the duty of being obedient, paying your tax as at when due and respecting the laws of the land.
“In exchange, the government should guarantee safety of your life and property.
“And government must guarantee an enabling environment under which you can thrive economically and otherwise”.
Umar-Farouk said the party had sound manifesto to provide enabling environment for the people to thrive as well as address social, economic and security challenges bedevilling the country.
The PRP gubernatorial flag bearer further lauded the cashless policy of the Buhari administration, adding that it would check vote buying and money politics in the country.
He, therefore, urged voters to turn en masse to vote for PRP candidates at all levels to bring positive development in the country.
NAN
