The Yobe State Government has proposed a five per cent allocation benchmark for social protection interventions in the 2027 budget to support vulnerable households and communities affected by insurgency and displacement.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Muhammad Goje, disclosed this at the opening of the 2027 Budget Bilateral Discussions with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Damaturu.
Goje said the benchmark would guide MDAs in making provisions for social protection, nutrition and durable solutions, but cautioned against arbitrary allocations.
‘Such provisions must not become arbitrary. They must correspond to clearly defined activities, beneficiaries, output and measurable outcomes, and should avoid duplication across MDAs,’ he said.
He said the bilateral discussions were aimed at ensuring that limited resources were directed towards programmes capable of delivering the greatest impact on citizens.
The SSG urged MDAs to submit realistic, measurable and implementable proposals linked to the state’s development priorities, while giving priority to completing critical ongoing projects before starting new ones.
He said the 2027 budget would focus on consolidating the achievements of Governor Mai Mala Buni’s administration, completing strategic projects and strengthening service delivery.
Goje listed security, education, healthcare, agriculture, water resources, infrastructure, economic development, humanitarian recovery and institutional strengthening among the priority areas.
He said Yobe’s recovery from years of insurgency and displacement required a shift from emergency response to durable solutions, including livelihood restoration, improved basic services and sustainable reintegration and resettlement of displaced communities.
The SSG also described nutrition as an investment in human capital, saying tackling malnutrition and childhood stunting required coordinated interventions across health, agriculture, education, water and sanitation and social development.
He urged MDAs to consider the needs of vulnerable groups, including widows, orphans, older persons, persons with disabilities and households facing severe economic hardship.
Goje further urged permanent secretaries, accounting officers and chief executives to take ownership of their budget submissions, warning that poorly conceived, duplicated or poorly supported proposals should not receive scarce public resources.
He also called for stronger links between budgeting and implementation, including timely procurement, monitoring, reporting and accountability.
He said the bilateral discussions should be ‘rigorous, professional and evidence-based’ to eliminate duplication, promote inter-MDA collaboration and prioritise high-impact interventions within the state’s fiscal capacity.
Speaking on the fiscal outlook, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Hon. Muhammad Garba Gagiyo, said the government would adopt a realistic and conservative approach to revenue projections for the 2027 budget.
Gagiyo said the reduction in the overall budget envelope should not be seen as a reduction in the government’s commitment to development, but as an effort to produce a credible and implementable budget.
He said the government would avoid excessive revenue projections and only include external funding where there was certainty about its availability, agreements and the capacity to utilise the funds within the budget year.
The commissioner urged MDAs to submit properly costed and prioritised proposals, focusing on ongoing projects, programmes with direct impact on citizens and counterpart funding obligations.
‘Our objective is not simply to produce a large budget, but a budget that can be effectively implemented and whose results can be demonstrated,’ Gagiyo said.
He said budget credibility was a shared responsibility, urging MDAs to uphold discipline, transparency and accountability to ensure measurable development outcomes.