Sokoto State Government says it has prioritised the local government areas in the 2027 budget consultations to enable citizens preslocal government areasent their development priorities.

The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Development, Dr Bashir Achida, disclosed this at the launch of the 2027 Zonal Budget Discussion for the Southern Zone in Bodinga Local Government Area of the state.

Achida said the initiative was in line with Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s commitment to inclusive and transparent governance.

He said consultations conducted for the 2026 budget had yielded results, with several community demands captured in the budget already implemented or at advanced stages of completion.

According to him, “extending the consultations to the local government areas will make it easier for residents to communicate their needs directly to the government’.

The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Tukur Bodinga, described the initiative as complementary to the legislature’s responsibilities.

Represented by the Deputy Chief Whip, Abubakar Shamaki, the speaker commended the executive’s budget implementation efforts and pledged prompt legislative consideration of the proposed 2027 budget.

Also, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Buhari Umar, said the consultations were aimed at promoting inclusiveness, transparency, and public ownership of the budget process.

He assured participants that their submissions would be considered in preparing the 2027 budget.

Similarly, the Sokoto State Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Alhaji Abba Tambuwal, described the exercise as an opportunity for citizens to present their needs directly to the government.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, represented by the District Head of Sifawa, Alhaji Abdullahi Sa’idu, pledged the support of traditional institutions for the state government’s development initiatives.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, Comrade Bello Gwadabawa, urged participants to prioritise their communities’ most pressing development needs.

Representatives of women’s groups and persons with disabilities, Dr Nafisa Gurori and Murtala Bala, respectively, also attended the consultation alongside traditional and religious leaders and youth groups.