The Federal Government has blamed the low-level implementation of annual budgets and national development plans in the public service on capacity gaps in the country.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mrs Fatima Mede, said this in a statement on Monday after a training for budget and planning officers of federal MDAs in Kano.

The training was organised and conducted by the Centre for Management Development (CMD).

CMD was established by the Federal Government as the operational arm of the Nigerian Council for Management Development (NCMD).

The Centre commenced operations in 1973, although it only derived its legal backing by an Act of 1976.

It is also actively involved in the regulation of standards, development of managerial manpower for the country and a broad range of skills to enhance the quality of management and leadership for the attainment of national economic goals.

Mede, who was represented by Mr Aminu Yargaya, also blamed some government agencies for not being able to effectively formulate or implement sector plans or annual budgets.

She said that countries like China, Malaysia and Indonesia were growing successfully and sustaining rapid developments because of their consistent implementation of National Development Plans.

She said that in order to contend the gap, the ministry embarked on a capacity training for budget and planning officers in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“The Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning is conducting a rigorous capacity building programme on planning, plan formulation and effective linkage to the budgeting process for Budget and Planning Officers.

“This would be done for officers of Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies as part of the process in the preparation of the 2017 Budget as well as the 2017/19 Strategic Plan.”

Mede said due to the present economic crisis that was resulting in negative consequences on revenues, there was the need for effective planning and budget implementation to achieve value for money.

She explained that expenditures were now tied to the country’s needs for maximum impact on the lives of the citizens.

“This is buttressed by the introduction of such economic and fiscal policies as Zero-based-Budgeting (ZBB), Treasury Single Account (TSA), Bank Verification Number (BVN) and the Restructuring of the Budget Framework.

“This is in favour of capital expenditure among other policies.”

She further said that the training was imperative as it would enable government to derive ways of reducing economic wastes and technical challenges.

Dr Kabir Usman, Director-General, CMD, said the Federal Government was working diligently to ensure a knowledge-based society to create opportunity in the culture of strategic planning and planning for implementation.

He said that when this was done, it would help ensure that “we put every Kobo into a good use.”

“This requires directors of planning, research and statistics across the Federal Ministries, Department and Agencies to have the rudimentary skills to be able to craft the 2017 budget for the change agenda.

“It informed the decision of the Federal Government to assign the CMD to add skills and create capacity of directors responsible for preparation of budget and planning.

“Ours is to train the planners of the budget to enable them to articulate the priority areas of the government for maximum economic growth and development in the country.”

Usman expressed optimism that the participants would utilise the knowledge they acquired as well as extend same to their colleagues who had no opportunity to attend the programme.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 250 Budget and Planning Officers from Federal the MDAs attended the Kano workshop.

The first batch of the training was held earlier in the month in Lagos. (NAN)

•Photo shows Udo Udoma

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