CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN BUDGETARY PROCESSES IN NIGERIA: MYTH OR REALITY

Abstract

Citizen participation in governance processes is critical for sustaining the development of any society. Citizen participation in budgetary processes is a system of promoting efficient and responsive government by having citizens input into resource allocation decisions. The paper noted that citizen-participation in governance is at its lowest in the nation. This paper is qualitative in nature, relying on secondary data, such as textbooks, journals, official documents etc. The paper is anchored on stakeholders’ theory which argues that citizen participation is a pillar of democracy and is necessary for a sustainable democracy. As a result, it gives every individual opportunity to influence and change political, social, economic and public decisions and allows citizens to be an important part of the democratic decision-making in Nigeria. It observed that since the return of democratic rule in Nigeria in 1999, efforts at participatory governance have never received the full backing of the ruling class, because they see it as a threat to their collective interest. The paper examines the mature of budgetary process in Nigeria, and states that participatory budgeting could be an important tool that can be used to encourage active citizenship in the transformation and development of their community. It concludes that the quality of democracy depends on how far people can participate in and influence the governance process. Citizen participation is critical for democratic decision-making and ensuring transparency and accountability.