Participants at a One Day Stakeholders Engagement to x-tray the approved budget of the Office of Disabilities have recommended that the budget items in this sector should deliberately consider impacts making activities to enable the targeted population benefit optimally from the budget rather than a mere annual ritual.
This was contained in a Communique Issued at the End of a one Day Stakeholders Engagement on 2025 Budget of the Office of Disability Affairs held on 13th November, 2025 at Board Room, Rehabilitation Centre Lokoja
Stakeholders at the engagement also suggested that there should be timely and adequate releases of funds to the sector to enable them implement activities which improve their lives and contribute to the overall GDP of the state.
The communique added that PLWDs should be included in budget making process or made to prepare their own budget to enable them prioritize their needs and aspiration for each period.It was recommended that the capital budget should be increased over the recurrent budget so as to be able to carry out impact making activities.
Participants also recommended strategic plan from which the annual operational plan can be prepared. It can equally be used as a tool for resources mobilization.
They further recommended that the budget of the PWDs should represent the needs of all clusters of disabilities.
The communique in full
Communique Issued at the End of a one Day Stakeholders Engagement on 2025 Budget of the Office of Disability Affairs held on 13th November, 2025 at Board Room, Rehabilitation Centre Lokoja
Preambles
The purpose of the One Day Stakeholders Engagement was to x-tray the approved budget of the Office of Disabilities with the view of discussing salient issues in the budget of the sector, enhance PWDs knowledge of the budget making process and identify gaps so as to improve on the entire budget and budgeting of process.
The organizer of the event was Participation Initiative for Behavioral Change in Development PIBCID in collaboration with Office of Disabilities Affairs.
At the event were members of the civil society, the Nigeria Bar Association and the media.No doubt the budget remains one of the most important documents of governance in any society.
This is because the budget clearly shows not only the intention of government for the people or a group of people such as women, the youth, the Persons with Disability and other group but also demonstrate the priorities of the government per time.
The budget of the Office of Disability Affairs in Kogi State for 2025 showed the plans and intentions of the government for the PWDs community for the said year reflecting what the government plan to do in order to improve the lives and living standard of the people.
Commendation: we commend the state for the bold step at creating the Office of Disability affairs, providing an office space to operate from and creating budget lines for the group.
This demonstrates the intention of the government to imbibe the culture of inclusion of all persons in the scheme of affairs in the state.Observations
There seems to be no deliberately conceived impacts making activities as demonstrated in the 2024 budget and it’s performance for the year.
Same applies to the 2025 approved budget for the year
There were observable challenges of releases of funds to the few items budgeted which explains why the budget performance was very low in the 2024 budget performance as seen above.
It was further observed that there was a deliberate effort by the duty bearers to include PWDs in the budget making process to enable them prioritize their needs and aspiration for each period.
It was observed that there was no demonstration of innovation in the budget targeting activities that drive impacts.
This is seen in the repetition of both items of the budget and even figures of the budget each year without consideration specific factors such as inflation, changes in the need of the people and other consideration.
The only items in the capital expenditure for the year 2024 and 2025 include;Equipping of rehabilitation center for PWDs 6,400 in 2024.
The same was budgeted and approved in 2025 but unfortunately here were no releases or performance.
Furnishing of rehabilitation centre: the sum of 20,000,000 was budgeted but only 1, 040, 000 release the same amount was budget without any empirical justifications or bases for budgeting same amount.
It shows innovation deficiency in budgeting.Construction of Kogi State Rehabilitation Centre for PWDs was 100,000,000. But there was zero performance in 2024. The same amount was budgeted or proposed and approved in 2025.
These were repetition of the previous years.It was observed that the recurrent budget was far higher that the capital budget which triggers sustainable development.
Recommendations
We recommend that the budget items in this sector should deliberately consider impacts making activities to enable the targeted population benefit optimally from the budget rather than a mere annual ritual.
There should be time and adequate releases of funds to the sector to enable them implement activities which improve their lives and contribute to the overall GDP of the state.
PLWDs should be included in budget making process or made to prepare their own budget to enable them prioritize their needs and aspiration for each period.It was recommended that the capital budget should be increased over the recurrent budget so as to be able to carry out impact making activities.
Participant recommended strategic plan from which the annual operational plan can be prepared. It can equally be used as a tool for resources mobilization.
It was recommended that the budget of the PWDs should represent the needs of all clusters of disabilities.