The Dispute Resolution and Development Initiative, DRDI–DAG, has called for stronger fiscal transparency, improved budget performance and inclusive citizen participation across local governments in Jigawa State.
The Executive Director of DRDI, Dr Muhammad Mustapha Yahaya, made the call during the presentation of findings from the organisation’s comprehensive research on Local Government Budget Performance, Fiscal Transparency and Citizen Participation (2020–2024) at a stakeholder engagement held in Jigawa State.
According to the findings, “the research assessed six local government areas — Ringim, Kiyawa, Mallam Madori, Gagarawa, Hadejia and Birnin Kudu — and discovered that most of them remain heavily dependent on federal allocations, with 94–100% of their total revenue sourced from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC”.
Dr Yahaya explained that the study revealed a severe transparency and access deficit, noting that budget documents in most local government areas, LGAs, were not publicly accessible. He said researchers encountered systemic opacity, where access to fiscal information largely depended on personal networks rather than institutional mechanisms, a trend that undermines the principles of open governance and erodes public confidence in local authorities.
Despite these challenges, Dr Yahaya said there are notable reform opportunities. He recommended the initiation of a Business Premises Registration Drive and the establishment of Ward Budget Committees across local government areas.
“LGAs need to strengthen Grants Management Units, introduce Youth Budget Forums, revive the Capital Development Fund, increase social sector allocations, pilot a Participatory Budgeting Annual Assembly, launch an Emergency Revenue Diversification Initiative, conduct a personnel audit, introduce a Traditional Council Budget Interface, as well as a Property Tax Pilot and form a Joint Legislative–Community Oversight Team,” he added.
To address these systemic fiscal and governance challenges, he noted that DRDI–DAG has proposed several strategic reforms, including the adoption of performance-based grants, realistic revenue forecasting guidelines, quarterly budget performance reviews chaired by LGA chairpersons, and the establishment of Fiscal Responsibility Committees. He added that standardising budget templates across LGAs would also improve uniformity and comparability.
“At DRDI, we believe Jigawa’s local governments can only deliver meaningful development when community participation is institutionalised,” he said, urging each LGA to legislate participatory budgeting and launch a “Know Your LGA Budget” campaign in local languages.
He also called for the creation of Ward Development Charters, the training of finance officers on modern revenue systems, and the introduction of digital transparency portals to enhance fiscal reporting and citizen monitoring.
Dr Yahaya issued a strong call to action, urging the Jigawa State Government to approve and fund the LGA Fiscal Sustainability Plan, institutionalise participatory budgeting guidelines across all LGAs, and establish a State–LGA Joint Technical Committee for fiscal oversight.
He also appealed to local government chairpersons to implement the recommended reforms, personally lead community budget engagements, and publish quarterly performance reports.
He further called on development partners to support capacity-building programmes in revenue and project management, fund digital governance initiatives, and sponsor peer-learning exchanges with model LGAs in other states.
Similarly, civil society groups and communities were urged to actively engage in budget consultations and oversight, using transparency portals and feedback mechanisms to sustain reforms and accountability.
Dr Yahaya also appealed to the media and advocacy networks to continue raising awareness among relevant stakeholders, stressing that access to budget information is not merely a technical necessity but a democratic imperative capable of rebuilding public trust and ensuring that local governments truly serve their people.
He said the fiscal challenges facing Jigawa’s LGAs are deep-rooted but surmountable, adding that with deliberate reforms, transparent governance and inclusive citizen participation, local governments can evolve from dependent administrative units into accountable and self-sustaining engines of development.
DRDI advocates fiscal transparency, sustainable local governance in Jigawa
