By Theresa Donatus, Uyo
Budgets are more than figures on paper, they are blueprints for people’s lives, and journalists must ensure they reflect the needs of citizens.
This was the central message as ActionAid Nigeria opened a three-day Media Capacity Strengthening on Public Finance Reporting and Accountability workshop in Lagos, urging the press to dig deeper into budget processes and hold leaders accountable.
The event, hosted at Watercress Hotel, brought together reporters from across the country to learn practical tools for tracking public spending, interpreting complex fiscal documents, and exposing inefficiencies in governance.
Declaring the training open, Mr. Celestine Okwudili Odo, Head of Programmes at ActionAid Nigeria, said the media plays a pivotal role in empowering citizens to participate in decision-making.
“We are moving towards building a social movement because power belongs to the people, the media is a tool to give people their voice. We cannot lift five million Nigerians out of poverty in the next ten years without the media as a strong ally.” he said
Representing Country Director Mr. Andrew Mamedu, Odo noted that journalists must connect budget lines to human realities.
“A budget is not just about billions and trillions; it is about a classroom a child needs, a borehole for a village, or a hospital bed for a patient,” he said.
Mrs. Blessing Ifemenam, Project Advisor for the Strategic Partnership Agreement 2, outlined the training’s objectives, including improving journalists’ knowledge of public financial management (PFM), increasing their capacity to analyse fiscal data, and familiarising them with ActionAid’s new strategy focused on citizen-led governance.
She also tied the training to ActionAid’s wider fiscal justice campaigns, which promote progressive taxation, gender-responsive budgeting, and increased allocations to health, education, and climate adaptation.
Economist Dr. Terfa Abraham took participants through Nigeria’s fiscal instruments, highlighting constitutional provisions, key institutions, and legal frameworks that govern public finance. He warned that the growing number of political appointees was inflating the cost of governance, and called for reforms to trim this expenditure rather than cutting workers’ pay.
Over the next three days, participants will work on turning complex fiscal data into clear, compelling stories that ordinary Nigerians can understand, thereby empowering citizens to demand accountability and better public service delivery.
