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Tag: budget

  • Ambode signs N812.998b budget into law

    Ambode signs N812.998b budget into law

    •Governor: Nigeria will get out of recession this year

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has signed the N812.998 billion budget into law.
    At the Lagos House, Ikeja, yesterday, the governor said the economy would bounce back.
    The budget represents N150.41billion increase from last year’s budget of N662.588billion.
    Capital expenditure is estimated at N507.816billion and Recurrent Expenditure N305.182billion.
    The governor said the budget would consolidate on the modest milestones recorded, adding that focus will be on infrastructure, economic, social/ security and sustainable environment.
    His words: “We are optimistic on the recovery of our economy this year. We are encouraged by the budget performance of last year, which stood at 78 per cent.
    “Our government is committed to prudent financial management and equitable allocation of resources for the general good and will ensure proper fiscal discipline in the implementation of this Appropriation Law.”
    He appealed for residents’ cooperation through prompt tax payment to ensure successful implementation of the budget.
    “We encourage all tax payers to continue in this spirit and also take advantage of available multi-pay channels in fulfilling their civic obligations. Do not pay to touts or illegal channels. Make sure your tax payments count.”
    Commissioner for Finance, Economic Planning and Budget Akinyemi Ashade said total revenue was estimated at N642.848billion with a deficit financing of N170.151billion.
    He explained that N476.309 billion representing 74 per cent of the total revenue will be generated internally; N166.539 billion representing 26 per cent is expected from federal transfer, including the 13 per cent derivation.
    Ashade said the State Inland Revenue Service (LIRS) is expected to generate N360billion equivalent to 75 per cent of the total internal generated revenue.
    He added that N170.151billion deficit will be funded through a N100billion bond issuance programme and a combination of internal and external loans.
    “We intend to scale up the current two per cent revenue GDP ratio to five percent in 2017 and also bring in more people from the informal sector into the tax net as well as adoption of an automated single billing system.
    “We shall maintain zero tolerance to incidence of under declaration of income by tax payers in accordance with relevance laws.”
    On sectoral breakdown, Economic Affairs has the lion share with N296.717 billion representing 36.50 per cent. Social Protection has the lowest estimate of N6.180 billion representing 0.76 per cent.
    Others include General Public Service N207.155billion representing 25.48 per cent; Public Order N39.722 billion; Environment N56.569 billion; Housing and Community Amenities N50.344 billion; Health N51.447 billion; Recreation, Culture and Religion N12.419billion and Education N92.445billion.

  • Is the Villa bureaucracy also padding the budget?

    Is the Villa bureaucracy also padding the budget?

    At this rate, by 2019, this government would’ve succeeded in buying enough “Motor Vehicles” to drive the entire country off the edge.

    Thanks to Hon (Dr) Abdulmumin Jibrin, the suspended member of the House of Representatives who had to be suspended, unprecedentedly, for a whole legislative year because the highly compromised souls of the House leadership will be too gutted to always find him too close by. Conscience, they say, is an open wound. As a born again, conscientious objector after being personally implicated as chairman of the House Appropriation committee, Jibrin had turned round to be the peoples’ only source of knowing that: “after the Appropriation Committee received all the budget reports from standing committees, an analysis was conducted. We discovered that about 10 only out of the 96 Standing Committees of the House had introduced about 2,000 projects without the knowledge of their committee members amounting to about N284, 000, 000, 000. I was alarmed. But I was cautious because at our pre-budget meeting with the committee chairmen, I was clearly warned not to touch their budgets. I reported the matter to the speaker. He did nothing about it obviously because he was working behind the scene with the committee chairmen.”

    Although that remains an allegation, Nigerians know only too well that if this happened in the lower House, the Senate must have accounted for double. Or how do you account for some members’ love of exotic cars?  Jibrin, having been so un-comradely, and with President Muhammadu Buhari breathing down their necks over padding, Senate has very quickly – thanks to the distinguished senator, that one of the armoured cars’ fame – come up with a bill that will see them get through the legislative front door, an amount, double if not triple, what was hitherto, being embedded in the budget, annually.

    As is now well known to Nigerians, a bill, sponsored by Senator Oduah, which has since passed the second reading, will when it becomes law, hand over to them 20 percent of the national budget for constituency projects. The about N1.4 trillion will be handed over to them,  they being contractors, so they can construct bore holes, erect market stalls, buy  sewing machines, grinding machines, knitting machines, motorcycles, tricycles etc for their constituents. If President Buhari cannot stop this nonsense, tell these folks they are elected to make laws and perform oversight functions and not to take on executive functions at either the national or sub national levels, then he should seriously consider resigning from office.

    Enough of this utter rubbish like this is the only national assembly on earth.

    The Yoruba say it is one smart Alec that can police another. (ole lo nmo ese ole to lori apata). Given this wise saying, Nigerians must plead with the legislature to, this time around, take a critical look at the budget provisions for the Villa which keep increasing in spite of our very parlous economic circumstances. The legislature should help us to know whether a worse padding had actually been going on at the very seat of power when all we have been doing is put the legislature to the guillotine. Not a few commentators have called attention to these ever ballooning figures and all I need do here is copy and paste their findings. While one of the most popular, or was it ludicrous, aspects of the 2016 budget, that is,  before Nigerians got to hear about padding, was the N3.6 billion earmarked for the purchase of an unspecified number of BMW saloon cars, the items calling for very careful interrogation in the current budget have more than tripled, as we would show.

    One of the commentators referred to above wrote, mutatis mutandis: “The first item is the “Sewage Charges” budget of the State House Headquarters”. It was put at 52,827,800. That means 144,733 per day. Compare this with N 6,121,643 for 2016. This simply means that the vote went up by 1050% compared with the 2015 budget, and 850% when compared with the 2016 budget. The State House Headquarters budget for “Honorarium/Sitting Allowance” is N 556,592,736 while the Jonathan government budgeted 174,471,371 in 2015, and this government, in 2016 jacked it up to 507,518, 861. Have these allowances been increased while workers’ salaries remain stagnant? There is the nebulous thing they call “Residential Rent.” This is something I have failed to understand up till now and I wouldn’t mind someone explaining it to me. That aside, the amount budgeted for this in 2015 was 22,459,575; in 2016 it was 27,735,643. But in this year’s budget of “Recovery and Growth,” this same “Residential Rent” budget went up to 77,545,700. What abracadabra is this? There is an 8,539,200 budget for “Anti-Corruption” and I’m perplexed as to what exactly it is. The last time there was a budget for “Motor Vehicles” or anything like that was in the 2014 budget by the last administration and it was a total of 132,200,000. This government came in 2016 and somehow concluded that the State House Headquarters did not have enough “Motor Vehicles,” so they started by budgeting 877,015,000 which was something like a 650% increase over the 2014 budget for the same item. Yet in 2017, 197,000,000 has again been budgeted for the purchase of “Motor Vehicles” and “Buses.” At this rate, by 2019, this government would’ve succeeded in buying enough “Motor Vehicles” to drive the entire country off the edge. 2016 will go down as one of the darkest years in this country in relation to power supply. So, where is a budget of 319,625,753 for “Electricity Charge” in 2017 coming from for the State house? This was 45,332,433 in the 2016. In 2016 State House Headquarters budget for the “Rehabilitation/Repairs of Residential Buildings” was 642,568,122, while in 2017, it is 5,625,752,757. Meaning that an enormous asteroid most probably managed to destroy the residential building at the State House Headquarters. This goes on until you hit what Olatunji Dare described as a curious affliction in his column in The Nation of Tuesday, 3 January 2017 referring to the never-failing humongous vote for kitchen equipment.  As is Professor Dare’s wont, he put it crisply as follows: “This disorder consists in an obsession with “kitchen equipment,” with cutlery and crockery thrown in, and a predilection for purchasing them year after year, without reference to the quantity purchased the previous year, without having to justify any new purchase, without having to account for the previous year’s purchase, and without the least consideration for cost or consequences”. Of the princely sum of N42billion earmarked for the Villa in the budget, expenditure on food, cooking gas and kitchen utensils is expected to gulp  over N850 million when, specifically, N100, 820,300 would be spent on the purchase of kitchen utensils such as forks and knives.

    It is totally befuddling how the 2017 budget proposals failed completely to take into account the country’s prevailing economic circumstances and all Nigerians can do is plead with the legislature to, for once, do a decent  day’s job by taking a critical look at these budget proposals.

  • Budget: Oyo creates speedy implementation strategy

    Oyo State government has promised to put in place an effective implementation strategy of the 2017 budget in order to ensure speedy and efficient performance of the budget. The commissioner for finance and budget, Mr Abimbola Adekanbi, disclosed this while presenting an analysis of the 2017 budget proposal at the house of chiefs, secretariat, Ibadan. Adekanbi said as soon as the state house of assembly passed the appropriation bill into law, the ministry of finance and budget would employ administrative monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the budget. “There would be harmonisation among relevant units of ministries, departments and agencies, MDAS of the state on the budget, which would also involve external supervisors and consultants. All these measures were to ensure effective and efficient performance of the 2017 budget when eventually passed into law, “he said . While breaking down the proposed budget, Adekanbi said an average of four billion naira monthly had been proposed by the board of internal revenue, while expectation from federation account was projected at an average of four point nine billion naira. The commissioner explained that the breakdown was a clear indication that the 2017 budget was designed to be self reliant and less dependent on federal allocations. In his bid at creating more infrastructural amenities to the people of Oyo State, four ministries of the state government and an agency of the government; Works and Transport, Finance and Budget, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Education, Science and Technology Ministries and Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project have gulped over half of the 2017 budget tagged: “Budget of Self-Reliance,” presented to the state’s House of Assembly last week by Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

  • Bogus budget in recession time

    When one hears government spokespersons announce so magisterially that “government has no money”, one tries not to choke. One often concludes that the speaker is either starkly ignorant about government revenue streams; he is being smart by half by projecting falsehood; or worse still, he is just parroting what he has been told, not knowing any better. It could well be that all these scenarios are true of such a person in which case the situation must be considered calamitous both for the spokesperson and the nation.

    To buttress the point that money has never been the problem of this administration or any other one at that, let’s take a look at how the Federal Government and some of its agencies have appropriated funds for the 2017 fiscal year. A cursory look at some items in some proposed and even appropriated budgets will make one think there is no one in charge of the country’s budgeting process.

    If appropriation documents had been poorly prepared in the past, the situation has not changed one bit today. Who really is responsible for our national budget? Whose duty is it to take all the estimates from all federal agencies and run through them with a fine-toothed comb? If we are serious about running our economy and developing this country, it starts with preparing quality financial plans first and secondly, rigorously implementing them.

    What really is the job of the Ministry of Budget and Planning with thousands of workers at its behest? We already know the quality, capacity and character of the Appropriation Committee of the National Assembly, going by the padding-gate of 2016. So apart from the fact that no one seems to apply some rigour to ensure that realistic figures are presented, there may well be a ‘syndicate’ both at the executive and legislative ends engaged in venal manipulation (padding)  of the budget figures for their benefit.

    While the budget padding scandal of last year is yet to blow over, what seems to manifest this year are bogus and outlandish figures littering the estimates from most Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs). One needs not be an expert to detect that some of these figures are out of this world.

    Let us take a few examples. The figures from The Presidency and State House’s proposals are most distressing. First, a total sum of nearly N43 billion has been out-laid for the State House Abuja. This in itself proves nothing but the bogus detail is what is troubling.

    Maintenance of Presidential jets is allotted N2.4 billion. Straightaway, what is the President still doing with so many aircraft when two will suffice? If we are in a recession and we are told the treasury is dried, why are we spending money in this manner? Many airlines in Nigeria and Africa do not have six aircraft in their fleet. So why would President Muhammadu Buhari continue to allow such stupendous waste of public funds in maintaining aircraft in this lean period?

    Apart from spending so much on jets, the 2017 budget also has another N1 billion for the President’s domestic and foreign trips. There is N123 million for feeding of the first family in 2017 and another N100million for canteen and kitchen equipment in the State House.

    If you thought the State House and Presidency bandied bogus figures for exotic menus, consider these from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The apex bank has approval to spend N3 billion on lunch in 2017. Other curious heads are: N44 billion for administrative expenses; N298 billion for operational expenses; N3billion for development expenses; N9 billion for strategic initiative and N4 billion as contingencies.

    CBN has also set aside N40.4 billion for 60 intervention projects across higher institutions and even secondary schools in Nigeria. And how about this: CBN has earmarked N760 million for rebuilding Nyanya Motor Park; N3 billion for intervention in military barracks across six zones, among other curious ‘intervention’ projects.

    And we ask? Just because the CBN is headed by a governor does that mean he has become a state governor? Apart from what looks like a reckless ‘bandying’ of figures in the guise of budgeting, is the CBN not overreaching itself and encroaching on the duties of the federal cabinet? Is the CBN not supposed to remit earned revenues into the federation account?

    Two other agencies have recession-debunking estimates. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) may also be guilty of bogus budgeting as well. FIRS is spending N590 million on refreshments and meals; N750million on fuelling generators, N400 million on electricity charges and N750 million on cleaning and fumigation; N3.5 billion on local travels, just to mention a few unsettling headings in a litany of incongruities. NCC has allotted itself a hefty N2 billion for travels; N9 billion for school support programme and N2.2 billion for subscribers database management.

    Though one is aware that often there is a gulf between estimates and accrual, or between approved figures and available cash for release, it is apparent that these estimates are far from realistic and these budgets are remarkably untidy. And this tardiness, nay, manipulativeness, if you like, runs across the MDAs.

    From the foregoing, there is no sign whatsoever that there is recession in the land. The second point to be made here is that there is no sign that our budget or even the economy is under anyone’s rigorous purview. For agencies that have annual budgets much bigger than many state governments; you would think someone responsible takes a critical look at their appropriations.

    We conclude that if these seeming abominable figures have been passed by NASS, then we are truly in troubled times and I fear for this administration.

     

    The fall of Sambisa Republic

    There was no end to the back-slapping and rejoicing a few days ago over the eventual ‘conquest’ of the Sambisa forest by Nigeria’s military. The way the hurrahs went Sambisa could have been another country. But it is only a forest reserve which was abandoned by wayward governments. Now it took our entire military over five years to reclaim it from hoodlums who could not resist annexing a vast unmanned territory.

    But what an anticlimax; it was like making love without orgasm. Sambisa was touted as the impregnable Boko Haram garrison headquarters. If all the rascals escaped by night, where are the APC tanks, the heaps of arms and ammunition and the Hilux pick-up vans?

    Most importantly, where are the rest of the Chibok girls? Where are the kingpins, the financiers and the ones holding the Chibok girls? Where are the Boko Haram leaders we purportedly negotiated with recently? Who are the negotiators? If the Chibok girls are not in the forest, it means they are kept in some houses somewhere in Yola, Bauchi or heavens know where? Or what are we to think now?

    Several times the military told us they had killed Shekau, now it is almost certain Shekau may well be an apparition we have spent millions of dollars chasing after. Let someone stop this Boko Haram heist please!

  • House passes Lagos’ N812b 2017 budget bill

    House passes Lagos’ N812b 2017 budget bill

    The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday passed the N812.9billion budget proposal presented by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on November 29, last year.
    The Recurrent Expenditure stands at N305.1billion and the total Capital Expenditure N507.8billion.
    Although the total budget size of N812.9billion approved by the House yesterday is the same figure presented by the governor, the House however, reduced allocations to some ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and increased the allocation for others.
    For instance, the House increased the allocation for the Ministry of Education from N525million to N650 million, Ministry of Agriculture from N293 million to N350 million and the overhead cost for House of Assembly Service Commission was increased from N210 million to N252 million.
    Allocation for Lagos Water Corporation was also increased from N1.4billion to N1.6billion and the capital expenditure for the State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) was increased from N2.5billion to N3billion to cater for election matters.
    Fund for the state infrastructure intervention fund was increased from N5billion to N10billion.
    Funds for Motor Vehicle Administration Agency was reduced from N6.5billion to N5.8billion and overhead cost of security/emergency intervention in the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations was reduced from N500 million to N400 million.
    The House advised that the Ministries of economic planning and budget; Finance and State Treasury office to release fund to some agencies for accreditation purposes, including State University, Dentistry Department of the Lagos State University College of Medicine, State School of Nursing, State Polytechnic, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education and Michael Otedola College of Primary Education.
    It also advised that the Internal Revenue Services (LIRS) be allowed to retain five-10 per cent of revenue for efficiency.

  • We’ll fast-track budget passage, says Gbajabiamila

    We’ll fast-track budget passage, says Gbajabiamila

    House of Representatives Leader Femi Gbajabiamila yesterday said the nation’s lawmakers would work towards speedy passage of this year’s budget.

    But he said they would not sacrifice thoroughness in doing so.

    Gbajabiamila spoke with reporters in Lagos on the occasion of his constituency’s celebration of the New Year baby at the Maternal and Child Care Hospital, Surulere, Lagos.

    He also donated gift items to children with health challenges at the Heart of Gold Children’s Hospice, also in Surulere, to mark the New Year.

    The lawmaker said though the budget was presented late, efforts would be put in place to pass it promptly.

    “It’s unfortunate that the budget was presented late. I have always been an advocate that budget be presented in September or first week in October as done in advanced democracy.

    “You don’t present the budget late in December and expect quick passage. The financial year is supposed to start by December 31 or January1.

    “We cannot sacrifice thoroughness and good work on the altar of time, we still need to do our work; we will ensure we fast-track the passage in the shortest possible time.

    “When we go back to the house, we will double and triple all efforts and make sure that this budget is passed on time,” he said.

    Gbajabiamila said that hopefully, the budget would revive the country’s economy and make life better for Nigerians.

    “The good thing is that the budget year has been extended to March and there are safeguards in the constitution that provide that when the budget has not been passed during a certain period, there are certain things that can be done to keep the government running.

    “But the budget will be passed soon and like it has been tagged -‘Budget of Recovery and Growth’, hopefully, that is what we will see in 2017,” he said.

    President Muhammadu Buhari on December 14, 2016 in Abuja, presented a budget proposal of N7.30 trillion for 2017 before a joint session of the National Assembly.

  • Ahmed presents N135bn budget to Kwara Assembly

    Ahmed presents N135bn budget to Kwara Assembly

    Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, has presented a 2017 budget estimate of N135, 064, 529, 461 to the State House of Assembly for consideration and approval.

    The governor presented the appropriation bill tagged: “Budget of Introspection and Sustenance” to the House on Thursday.

    He said the budget showed an increase of N23, 682, 157, 934 representing 21.2% of the 2016 revised budget.

    According to the Gov Ahmed, the sum of N57, 479, 632, 894 representing 42.5% was earmarked as recurrent expenditure.

    He also told the House that N70, 986, 667, 592 representing 52.5% of the budget went to capital expenditure, while N6, 798, 228, 975 representing 5% of the total budget is for public debt service.

    Under Sectoral allocation, Ahmed said that Economic Affairs took the lion share of N35, 437, 302, 393 representing 26% of the total budget, followed by Education with a sum of N29,936,179,606 representing 22% of the total budget.

    General Public Services came third with the sum of N26, 497, 822, 611 presenting 20% of the 2017 total budget.

    The Governor said the 2017 budget was anchored on current economic realities and determination to look inwards for sustained prosperity and development.

    “Mr Speaker, Honorable Members, the 2017 Budget proposal builds on the prevailing macroeconomic realities in the country as a result of

    “We have therefore maintained a prudent approach to estimating revenues for the 2017 financial year in order to cushion the economy from possible fiscal shocks that may arise.

    “Mr Speaker, Honorable Members, in formulating the 2017 Budget proposal, we maintained a zero-based budgeting to arrive at our projections,” Gov Ahmed added.

    According to him, the 2017 budget was based on oil price benchmark of $42.5 per barrel, oil production of 2.2 million barrels per day, average Exchange Rate of N1 to 305/$ and inflation Rate of 10.28%.

    The Governor said the 2017 appropriation bill is expected to be financed through Federal Allocations to the state, Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and Value Added Tax (VAT).

    Ahmed also said the budget would be funded through Capital Development Fund Receipt/Aid and Term Loan facility from Financial Institutions.

    The Governor told the House that about N23, 703, 893, 175 representing 17.6 percent of the budget would be sourced from Federation Account, while IGR would fetch N29.3 billion, representing 21.5 percent.

    Gov Ahmed reassured the people of the state of the commitment of his administration to implement result oriented policies and programmes that will boost economic activities, unlock growth and create jobs in the 2017 financial year.

    “All on-going capital projects under the General Public Service Sector will be accorded the highest priority to ensure their completion in 2017 financial year.

    “The State government will continue to accord high premium to the wellbeing of its workers in all ramifications”, the governor said.

    He stated that more qualified youths will be engaged to address staff shortage created by voluntary retirement and resignation in 2017.

    Ahmed also said that attention will be given to the provision of operational vehicles to all MDAs in the 2017 fiscal year.

  • Sokoto proposes N204.23bn budget for 2017

    Sokoto proposes N204.23bn budget for 2017

    The Sokoto State Executive Council on Wednesday approved the state’s proposed budget of over N 204.23 billion for 2017.

    The Commissioner for Higher Education, Alhaji Sahabi Gada, told  newsmen after the council’s meeting in Sokoto that the budget would be presented to the state assembly on Thursday.

    Gada said:”Over sixty nine per cent of the proposed budget goes to capital expenditures, while thirty one per  cent goes to recurrent expenditures.

    ” The proposed budget will be presented to the state House of Assembly by Gov. Aminu Tambuwal on Thursday, Dec. 29.

    ” The budget  has been slightly increased from the over N174.3 billion budget of the outgoing fiscal year.

    ” This is due to the expected increase in income due to the increase in prices of oil and the planned increase in taxes, as well as revenues.”

    Also speaking, the Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Arzika Tureta, said that the council has approved N667 million to purchase chemicals for water treatment.

    Tureta added that N642.62 million was also approved for the purchase of four generators for the state water board.

    The Education Commissioner, Dr Jabbi Kilgori told newsmen that N95.4 million was approved by the executive council for the establishment of a mini tomato paste firm in the state.

  • MAN hails N2.24tr allocation to capital expenditure in 2017 budget

    MAN hails N2.24tr allocation to capital expenditure in 2017 budget

    The Manufacturers’Association of Nigeria (MAN) has appraised  the 2017 budget, concluding that if implemented religiously, it could help the economy to recover.

    Its President, Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs, praised the importance accorded capital expenditure with the value of N2.24 trillion which accounts for 30.7 per cent of the total budget.

    According to him, MAN’s position is further reinforced by the emphasis placed on resource-based production and conscious patronage of made-in-Nigeria products by the government.

    He said: “Since the budget intends to generate a total of N1.373 trillion from CIT, VAT, Customs & Excise Duties and Federal Account Fees for the period, MAN is of the opinion that tax rate should not be increased and no new tax should be introduced; rather the government should reduce the current CIT and widen the tax net.”

    Besides, MAN is seeking the downward review of Company Income Tax (CIT) from  30 to 20 per cent to sustain  investments and encourage new ones.

    The group also wants President Muhammadu Buhari to widen the tax net to boost tax revenues.

    Jacobs said though the manufacturers support the budget assumptions, they believe some critical steps should be taken for the attainment of the budget objectives.

    He recommended increasing tax revenue by widening the tax net to capture more companies in the informal sector and in the formal sector.

    He urged the government to ensure Public-Private Partnership (PPP), through the establishment of concession agreements under Built-Operate-Transfer (BOT) in road and rail construction and maintenance, rather than expending the scarce resources on these projects alone.

    It would be recalled that transportation alone had N262 billion allocated to it.

    For a robust economy and growth in all sectors, Udemba canvassed timely release of capital expenditure funds to the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), effective evaluation and monitoring of capital projects so that the nation could obtain value for its money.

    The MAN chief also advised governments to, within the shortest possible time, fulfill its promise of resuscitating the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) scheme while ensuring the payment of the outstanding Negotiable Duty Credit Certificate (NDCC) value.

    “Given the current trend in the crude oil market, if sustained, the excess revenue should be specifically devoted for infrastructure development,” he added.

    Responding to the budget assumption of 2.2 million barrel per day (bpd), he warned that the crude oil production benchmark could only be achieved if the government ensures the faithful implementation of the peaceprogramme put in place for the Niger Delta as a means of ending militancy.

  • Edo to present budget estimates Monday

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State will on Monday present the 2017 budget appropriation bill to the state House of Assembly for consideration.

    The proposed Monday’s budget presentation followed the agreement by Executive and Legislative Joint Committee on the Edo State 2017 budget, after all grey areas had been captured.

    Hon. Damian Lawani, the Committee’s Chairman, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Budget Appropriation, briefed the press after a meeting of the Executive and Legislative Joint Committee at the weekend in Benin.

    Lawani said “this meeting became necessary to ensure that all the good intentions of the new administration is properly captured before presentation.”

    According to Lawani, “you are aware that Mr. Governor wrote a letter to us last week intending to present the budget on Friday, but going through the budget, we saw the need for us – executive and legislative arms of government to meet and finalise the details of the appropriation bill before presentation on Monday.”

    While assuring the people of a cordial relationship between the two arms of government, he said the House would ensure a thorough scrutiny of the budget estimates and a guarantee that its implementation “hugely benefits Edo people.”