2018 budget: Enugu, Osun and Bornu Governors present budgets to state assembly

Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Kashim Shettima of Borno State and Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State thursday presented the 2018 budget(s) to their respective Houses of Assembly.

While Ugwuanyi presented N98.6billion, Shettima had N170billion and Aregbesola submitted NN173.8billion.
In Enugu State, the budget estimate is 6.7 per cent less than 2017 estimate of N 105.1 billion.

The budget tagged: ‘Budget of Sustainable Economic Growth’, has N37.84 billion for capital expenditure while N60, 776 billion is for recurrent expenditure.

Ministry of Works leads sectoral allocations with N10.4 billion, followed by education with N6.238 billion.

Others are; health, N3.7 billion; rural development N2 billion; housing, N1.18 billion; water resources, N782 million; agriculture, N707 million; and commerce and industry, N250 million.

On expected receipts, Ugwuanyi said the state government would get N43billion from statutory allocation and N2.5 billion from internally generated revenue.

In Osun State, Aregbesola said the appropriation bill, Aregbesola said the budget was designed to consolidate on his achievements and leave an enduring legacy of the people of the state, adding that the budget was also to finally fulfill its six integral action plan.

He said 2018 would be a year of consolidation and complementation of his administration’s achievements in the last seven years.

According to him, the budget was billed to effectiveness, actualisation and realisation of the manifestoes of the All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that the 2017 budget was 42.8 per cent implemented of paucity of fund.

Aregbesola said the 2018 budget is N27,347,336,027 higher than that of 2017, disclosing that the appropriation bill would be financed with the share of the state Federal Allocation, Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and other sources of income.

A break down showed that education got 14.87 per cent while health sector has 2.5bn per cent of the budget.
He maintained that education is important and essential to his administration, hence his determination to reconstruct and rebuild the education sector, promote functional education at all levels in the state.

In Borno State, Governor Shettima in his budget tagged: ‘Budget of Resettlement and Empowerment’, was less than that of 2017 by N13.560 billion or 7.38 per cent.
He explained that the capital expenditure was allocated N108,408,580 billion while recurrent vote got N61,870,934 billion.

Shettima disclosed that the budget would be financed from projected Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of N16,075,548 billion; allocation from the Federation Account of N115,734,194 billion, and Capital Receipt of N38,469,772 billion.

Major highlights of the budget showed that education got the highest allocation of N27 billion.
However, in Ogun State House of Assembly thursday reviewed the 2018 Appropriation Bill with a reduction of N1,434,500,000 from the initial N345,418,462 earlier presented to it a month ago by the state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

The passage of the over N343 billion budget saw to the adjustments in the recurrent expenditures of nine agencies, just as four other agencies also had their capital expenditures adjusted, while revenue targets of nine agencies, including the proposed external loans were also adjusted.

The passage of the bill was sequel to the presentation of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation led by Hon. Akanbi Bankole, who thereafter moved the motion for its adoption, seconded by Hon. Israel Jolaoso and supported by the whole House through a voice vote.

According to the report, capital expenditure was slashed from N223.721billion to N222.881 billion, resulting in a difference of N840million, while the total revenue target was raised from over N345.418billion to over N343.983billion giving a reduction of over N1.434billion.

The bill was thereafter read clause- by- clause before the members by Speaker Suraju Ishola Adekunbi, while the Minority Leader, Olawale Alausa, moved the motion for the third reading, which was seconded by Hon. Jimi Otukoya and the Clerk of the House, Mr. Lanre Bisiriyu did the third reading of the bill.

Passing the bill, Speaker Adekunbi commended his colleague- lawmakers and the entire members of staff for their support and dedication to duty which led to the speedy passage of the Appropriation bill and later directed that the clean copy of the bill be sent to the governor for his assent.

Nigerians are waiting patiently for President Buhari’s presentation of the National  2018 budget

Credit: THISDAY