Residents have rated Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i very low in the implementation of Kaduna State 2016 budget, the News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] reports.
 
The residents, in separate interviews said the budget did not create the desired impact, particularly on the common man.
 
They particularly said that insecurity, lack of access to agricultural inputs by farmers and poor health services have continued to impact negatively on the lives of the people.
 
Rev. Sunday Ibrahim, the Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter, said in spite of the huge budget, people were dying of hunger due to inability to afford two square meals a day.
 
He added that the protracted insecurity in the state had scared people from their farms to avoid attack or kidnap.
 

According to him, a budget only makes sense when the poor have shelter, engage in economic generating ventures, have food on their table, can send their children to school, and move about freely without fear.
 
“This was not the case in Kaduna State in spite of the huge budget for 2016.”
 
The scribe advised that whatever went wrong in the course of the budget implementation should be corrected in 2017.
 
Dr Auwal Aliyu, a politician, said there was a long time frame between the signing into law of the budget and its implementation.
 
According to him, the implementation process stated four months ago, adding that most infrastructure projects such as the township and intercity roads are ongoing.
Aliyu noted that most of the projects being undertaken by the government were between 20 to 30 per cent in execution level.
 
“If you ask the contractors why work is not moving since it is expected to have a time frame, they will tell you money is the problem, that they have not been paid for the jobs done.
 
“So you now ask yourself what happened to the money appropriated for this particular job, where has the money gone, why is the job not going according to plan.”
 
He also noted that various projects on schools renovation and equipping, as well as hospitals construction have suffered the same fate.
 
Read more at http://guardian.ng/news/residents-score-government-el-rufai-low-in-imple...