By Frank Ulom
The Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu, has outlined infrastructure development, human capital development, economic diversification and job creation as key priorities that will guide the state’s 2027 budget.
Governor Otu disclosed this while speaking at the opening of the 2027 Budget Consultative Forum for the Southern Senatorial District of the state, on Thursday, at Hogis Royale, Calabar Municipality.
The Governor was represented by Dr Bong Duke, the Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the State Planning Commission, who said the budget would also prioritise social protection and inclusion, as well as strengthening the state’s revenue generation capacity.
According to him, his administration would sustain the momentum recorded in improving the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), while pursuing further growth through automation and enhanced efficiency in revenue collection.
“Our revenue base has shown unprecedented improvement, and we are targeting further growth through automation and enhanced efficiency,” the Governor said.
Otu described the consultative forum as an important platform for citizens and stakeholders to participate directly in the budget process, stressing that their contributions would help determine how government revenue should be generated and how taxpayers’ money should be utilised.
He said the participation of citizens in the budgeting process was essential to ensuring that government policies and expenditures reflected the needs and aspirations of the people.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Department of Budget, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Peter Uklala, commended stakeholders for participating in the forum.
The Permanent Secretary was happy about the gathering, which brought together representatives of government institutions, the private sector, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, professional bodies, youths, women, persons with disabilities, the media and other stakeholders to collectively contribute to the development of the state.
He also acknowledged the contribution of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), noting that the organisation had maintained a longstanding partnership with the state.
He described the forum as a demonstration of Governor Otu’s commitment to participatory governance, transparency, accountability and inclusive development.
Dr Uklala said the contributions, recommendations and constructive criticisms from participants would enrich the budgeting process and support the preparation of a realistic, responsive and implementable 2027 budget.
He urged stakeholders to make meaningful contributions to the process, noting that their inputs would help government better understand the priorities and needs of the people across the Southern Senatorial District.
The Consultative Forum is part of the state government’s broader process of engaging citizens and stakeholders in the formulation of the 2027 budget, with a view to ensuring that public resources are directed towards projects and programmes that address critical development needs.
Also speaking at the forum, the Coordinator of Cross River State Civil Society Network, Leader Ben Usang, commended the budget department for sustaining the forum across the districts.
He appealed for scaling down “to local government levels.” Committing to the success of the budget process, he called for more support for the budget department.