Gov. Bello presents N130b 2021 draft budget of Accelerated Recovery to Kogi Assembly
…says govt. will prioritize resources.
The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello on Tuesday presented the 2021 budget appropriation of 130, 546, 068, 026 to the State house Assembly noting that his government would focus strictly on priorities as it sought to judiciously manage its dwindling resources.
The total budget both revenue and expenditure proposed 74, 047, 160, 482 (56.72%) of recurrent expenditure and 56, 498, 907, 544 (43.28%) allocated to capital expenditures as well as 82, 464, 412, 854 (63.17%) recurrent revenue and 48, 081, 655, 172 (36.83%) capital revenue were expected in the year 2021.
He pointed out that the carefully crafted budget of 2021 would seek to urgently address the pressing issues of internal security, food security and economic empowerment at the state level while hoping that similar urgencies would be activated at all other levels across the state.
Governor Bello commended the House for approving the revised 2020 – 2022 medium Term Expenditure Frameworks, Fiscal strategy paper and the passage of the revised 2020 appropriation bill into law in record time to ameliorate distractions from the Covid-19 pandemic to the state’s fiscal positions.
The Governor noted that the 2021 budget was carefully crafted to capture only realizable revenues, enhance IGR, aggressively pursue repayment of debt owned the state by the FG, reduced cost of governance and provide more justification for the state’s development partners across the world to contribute to the state’s economy.
He added that his administration seek to eliminate waste of government funds and resources which might have eluded them in time pass while blocking any remaining leakages in its IGR portfolio.
The Governor Expressed that “common sense” demanded that the government avoided “white elephant” and ego massaging projects noting that priorities would be placed on payment of work force salaries and completion of on-going projects as only critically important infrastructure would be introduced.
Governor Bello noted that the 2021 budget objectives included quality and affordable education, improve quality access to healthcare, food security, exploring full commercial potential of the state, gainful employment for youths, improved road networks.
Others includes reducing average power outage, rejuvenate the transport sector, improved security of lives and properties, expand the state’s revenue base and reduced the state’s domestic debt profile.
Governor Bello urged the House to ensure speedy passage of the submitted budget so as to facilitate prompt implementation by the executive arm.
The Governor concluded that the current situation in the country should invite all leaders to re think the basic suppositions of relationship with citizens adding that citizens were becoming increasingly frustrated with polity that is no longer meeting their basic yearnings and aspirations.
In his welcome remark, the Speaker Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mathew Kolawole lauded Governor Bello’s resolve to take a stand against locking down at the peak of Covid-19 pandemic noting that such decision helped stabilized the state’s economy
He noted that as co managers of the economy they would continue to perform their duty and facilitate accountability and probity in the implementation of the budget while he also used medium to call on respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies to promptly appear before the respective committees when called.
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