Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji has signed the state 2013 appropriation bill into law. Speaking while signing the bill into law, Orji urged all taxable adults in the state to be alive to their responsibility by paying all government approved taxes in the state, saying that it was one of the sure ways to fast tracking the development of the state.
The assented bill raised the earlier figure from N134 billion to N137 billion, an increase of N3 billion from the original bill presented before the House on November 20th, 2012.
Orji said: “Our people should form the habit of being passionate about the state by paying all their taxes, as the state can no longer afford to depend on the monthly federation allocation, which has become quite unsteady in recent times.”
He noted that the state could comfortably generate over N1 billion monthly from its internally generated revenue, stressing that Aba alone could generate more than that amount, like it did during the old Imo State.
The governor commended the entire members of the House on the mature way they handled the problem which cropped up while deliberating on the appropriation bill he presented to them.
Orji thanked the house for the speed with which they attended to the appropriation bill and passed it into law, stressing that it showed the concern they have in the affairs of the state, even at the expense of their Christmas holidays.
He said that the presentation and passage of the bill into law are two different things, “the main thing is to have the discipline to execute the budget to the point where every member of the state will benefit from it, and I assure you that such discipline will be put to use while executing the budget.”
The governor said the action of his administration has shown that they have started to implement the budget in the area of provision of amenities to the people, stressing that his government does not discriminate as it has touched the executive, legislature and the judiciary.
Earlier while presenting the bill for the governor’s assent, the Speaker, Ude Oko-Chukwu said the N134 billion budget was 3.2% above the 2012 approved budget outlay
