Governor Suswam: budget figure reduced by 11 per cent

Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue state and Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State have presented the 2015 appropriation bills to the houses of assembly for consideration.

Suswam’s appropriation bill of N98.6 billion shows a drop of 11 per cent compared with the 2014 appropriation estimates of N130 billion.

Suswam made the presentation on Tuesday in Makurdi during the assembly’s plenary session.

According to the estimates, the recurrent expenditure will gulp N52.8 billion while capital expenditure stood at N45.7 billion.

The governor blamed the reduction on the declining statutory allocations from the federation account.

He said the state intended to rake in funds from statutory allocations, Value Added Tax and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

The Speaker, Mr Terhile Ayua, assured the governor that the bill would be given accelerated hearing in spite of its late submission.

In Borno State, Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno also presented a budget proposal of about N175 billion for the 2015 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly in Maiduguri for approval.

Shettima said that the proposal, tagged `Budget of Fulfilment’, comprised N62 billion recurrent and N113 billion capital expenditures.

Governor Kashim Shettima

He explained that the budget would be financed through N98 billion Statutory Allocation, N39 billion Internally Generated Revenue and N38 billion Capital Receipts.

Shettima said that the budget was aimed at completing all ongoing projects and introducing viable ones that would have positive impacts on the lives of the citizenry.

“The main target is to improve the living standard of the people and boost the economy of the state.

“The budget is aimed at mobilising available resources to ensure the attainment of targeted goals,” he said.

The Ministry of Works got the highest allocation of N23 billion in the budget.

The Ministry of Health got N17 billion and the Ministry of Education N14 billion.

Others included the Ministry of Higher Education, N12 billion and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), N11billion.