Investigation of the use of the Online National Budget of Nigeria: Emerging Findings Research team: (University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria) Dr. Omenogo Veronica MEJABI; Dr. Adesina L. AZEEZ; Mr. Adeyinka ADEDOYIN; and Mr. Muhtahir O. OLOYEDE The funding for this work has been provided through the World Wide Web Foundation 'Exploring the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries' research project, supported by grant 107075 from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (web.idrc.ca). Find out more at www.opendataresearch.org/emergingimpacts Presented at ODDC Africa Regional meeting – 07/12/2013 1
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ODDC project status update: the use of budget data in Nigeria
A presentation from the University or Ilorin research team in the Exploring the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Development Countries research network
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Investigation of the use of the OnlineNational Budget of Nigeria: Emerging Findings
Research team: (University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria) Dr. Omenogo Veronica MEJABI;
Dr. Adesina L. AZEEZ;Mr. Adeyinka ADEDOYIN; and
Mr. Muhtahir O. OLOYEDE
The funding for this work has been provided through the World Wide Web Foundation 'Exploring the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries' research project, supported by grant 107075 from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (web.idrc.ca). Find out more at www.opendataresearch.org/emergingimpacts
Presented at ODDC Africa Regional meeting – 07/12/2013
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Abstract• Corruption and bad governance are major issues of concern
to Nigerian citizens.• Although Nigeria is yet to commence a formal move
towards open data, or to launch an open data portal, budget data is increasingly available online, direct from government or through intermediaries.
• It is not yet clear how aware the public are of this budget data, or how it affects budget governance.
• This study employs a range of approaches, including analysing news media and interviews with key stakeholders, to determine: how the public engage in the discussions of the national
budget, their awareness of open data, its potential to drive good governance, and the challenges to effective use of such open budget data.
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National Context
Citizens frustrated and distrustful of government promises
At start of study, no existing government move towards open government data or open data initiative but Edo state open government data portal launched on 13th September, 2013 (data.edostate.gov.ng)
But, many organisations do publish data relevant for governance on their websites: available to the public with no restrictions.
Public awareness & use of available data is unclear
The Data Sets involved• Budget of Nigeria available on the Budget Office website
since 2007 (http://www.budgetoffice.gov.ng)
• …but not organised or structured.
• Link descriptions vary from year to year (2007, 2008 and 2009) and it is not clear if the data is the final approved budget, or the budget as initially proposed to the National Assembly for consideration.
• e.g. the 2011 budget has to be pieced together from the 2011 quarterly reports on budget implementation
• Data files are published as PDF files
• Vast improvement from the past when such data were only available as hard copies.
online networkers, professionals, visible budget analysts• Media analysis
– review & analyse newspaper coverage on the budget of Nigeria (from 2009 – 2013)
– online social networks (around the 2013 budget)
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Preliminary Interviews & FindingsSome challenges to the achievement of open data initiative in Nigeria in terms of access and use of such data. It is one thing to have the data open to the public, it is another thing for the public to make use of it to drive accountability, transparency and good governance. Such challenges include: • Culture of secrecy in public life in Nigeria that inhibits government officials’ readiness and
willingness to make information available to the public.• Challenge of poverty that discourages people from accessing and using open data. A large
number of Nigerians are concerned with how they can feed themselves instead of engaging government performances.
• Lack of skills on the part of a large number of Nigerians, particularly in the rural areas, is also a big challenge to the use of open data. Many Nigerians do not have the requisite skills to access open data not even to talk of adapting it for use or for engaging the government.
• Technology, in terms of appropriate applications to make data open in simple format that will be accessible and usable to the public, is also a challenge. This is evidenced more on the part of the government agencies that do not have the necessary technologies or appropriate applications to make data open in most accessible and usable format.
• Lack of necessary infrastructures, such as energy/power, is also a challenge to the access and use of open data.
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Preliminary Findings – Newspaper Analysis
• Analysed
newspapers have
average page
number s of:o This Day (60)
o The Guardian (72)
o Daily Trust (60)
o Tribune (56)
o The Punch (72)
o The Nation (64)
• The Punch and The
Nation are still
being collated. This Day The Guardian Daily Trust Tribune
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
51%
45%
39%36%
Proportion of Analysed Newspapers with story items related to Nigeria's budget is 50% or
less
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Preliminary Findings – Social Media
• Twitter: Criticism of sectoral
allocations in the budgeto Our great country spent only 3.2% of its
national budget on health at the federal
level in 2010. Of this, 83% was spent on
paying salaries! - EiE
Nigeria(@EiENigeria)
o A country that spends 5% of its budget on
education and 30% on security is doomed.
But common sense isn't so common.
#publicaffairs - VEEG Communications
(@VEEGGroup)
o Shocking: 23 per cent of National Budget
Spent on Salaries/Allowances of 18,000
Top Government Officials... http://
fb.me/1chL7vb8g - Information
Nigeria(@infonaija)
• Facebook: Distrust of govt,
to implement the budgetPrompter – Announcement of 2013 budget