Residents of Bakori Ward A in Bakori Local Government Area on Saturday presented a wide range of development priorities for inclusion in the 2027 Katsina State Budget during a ward-level town hall meeting held as part of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s participatory budgeting initiative.
The meeting, chaired by the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Professor Ahmed Mohammed Bakori, was one of the simultaneous consultations conducted across all 361 political wards in Katsina State to enable citizens directly contribute to the formulation of the 2027 budget.
Addressing participants, Prof. Bakori said the exercise was in line with Governor Radda’s directive that governance should be driven by the needs and aspirations of the people. He explained that the consultations were designed to ensure that communities identify and prioritise projects that would have the greatest impact on their lives, while promoting transparency, accountability and inclusive governance.
He reminded participants that recommendations from the maiden ward-level consultations conducted ahead of the 2026 budget had already translated into the execution of numerous projects across sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, water supply, road infrastructure, youth empowerment and community development.
The commissioner therefore urged residents to make realistic and impactful submissions that would guide government planning and resource allocation for the 2027 fiscal year.
Malam Ahmed Abdulkadir
Among the senior government officials who attended the meeting were the Chairman of the Katsina State Radio and Television Services Board (KTRTV), Malam Ahmed Abdulkadir; the Director-General of the Katsina State Pension Bureau, Alhaji Nura Audi; and former Chairman of Bakori Local Government, Alhaji Mansur Aminu Bakori, who now serves as the Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP) in Bakori Local Government Area.
During the interactive session, community members identified several priority projects requiring government intervention. They called for the construction of the Jare Dam to support irrigation farming and improve agricultural productivity, as well as the establishment of a General Hospital to enhance access to quality healthcare services in the area.
Other requests included the provision of electricity transformers for rice millers to boost local agro-processing activities, construction of a bridge across the old Guga Road, drainage works at Tashar Madalla to address flooding, construction of a bypass road to ease traffic movement, establishment of small-scale industries to create employment opportunities, and the construction of Abdulkadir Barau Primary School, which has reportedly operated from borrowed classrooms for more than 30 years.
Participants expressed appreciation to the state government for sustaining the ward-level budget consultation process, describing it as a unique opportunity for ordinary citizens to influence government policies and development priorities.
The statewide consultations, organised by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in collaboration with the Community Development Programme (CDP), form part of Governor Radda’s “Building Your Future IV” agenda and are intended to ensure that the 2027 Katsina State Budget reflects the genuine needs of communities across the state’s 361 wards.
