By Amuche Agbo, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Governor Engr. David Umahi on Wednesday presented the 2022 Appropriation Bill of N145,410,597.49 to Ebonyi State House of Assembly.
The 2022 Appropriate Bill tagged, “Budget of Latter Rain,” Umahi said the federal allocation would serve as the major revenue to finance the budget, whereas others are expected to come from the revenue heads.
He said, the 2022 Budget Estimate represents an increase of 46.65% over the revised budget of N99.157.171.65, explained that increase is due to the carryover of a large part of the expected receipts in the 2021 fiscal year to the next fiscal year.
He disclosed that the Federal government of Nigeria’s bridging finance of N18.225bn given to each of the 36 States in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, was among some carry overs in the estimates.
“We expect N4.315bn from TETFund for our tertiary institutions, UBEB growth of over N1.2bn , SFTAS of N16.727bn and Domestic Loan of N7bn,” Umahi said.
He noted that the proposed capital expenditure of the budget is N89.763.717.205 representing 61.73percent while recurrent expenditure is proposed to be N55.646.880.517.69 or 38 27 percent of reg total budget.
“This proportion of 61 73peecent of capital to 38.27 percent recurrent is structured bearing in mind our determination to deepen our capital projects development especially the completion of ongoing projects”, he said.
A breakdown shows that education, works and infrastructural development for concession ministries got the highest chunk of the budget.
The Education ministry is to gulp N24,397,399, 015.78 covering 16.78 percent of the budget.
While the Ministry of Infrastructural Development for Concession is to get N17, 498,56,922.44 covering 12.03percent, the Ministry of Works and Transport is projected to get N24, 335, 057, 558.09 which is 16.74 percent of the budget.
The Ministry of Agriculture is to get N3,425,238,354.88 which is 2.38 percent of the 2022 budget sum.
Umahi added that the state government has profiled 200 youths and women from each local government area to access the N3bn #EndSARS empowerment programme from January, 2022.
”In 2022, we are going to pursue the stoppage of leakages and illegal revenue collections. We shall promote ease of doing business and automate our revenue collection processes to prevent multiple taxes”, he said.
He also added that the state government is going to come up with more sophisticated strategies to generate more revenue for the benefit of the state.
He expressed hope that the ongoing dualization of the Abakaliki to Afikpo and Abakaliki to Enugu roads will achieve over 80 percent completion before the end of 2022.
The governor warned that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) disturbances in Ebonyi state University must stop, adding that the Union cannot be allowed to hold the institution and state government in that way.
“After 7 days if they are unable to resolve the problem, I will approach the court to get the powers to dissolve them”, he vowed.
Umahi noted that the state has complied with the issue of autonomy of the state House of Assembly and Judiciary.
“Every local government fund now goes straight to the local government accounts. The decide what they do with their money”, he said.
The governor said that apart from the facilities which the state got like other states, his administration would not owe any commercial loan as a state by the time he bows out from office in 2023.
The Speaker of the House, Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru put the motion for the first reading of the budget into vote and it was passed without any opposition, following the motion moved by the Leader – the member representing Ezza North West State Constituency, Mr. Victor Chukwu, being seconded by Chukwuma Igwe, the member representing Onicha West State Constituency.
Meanwhile, the bill has passed first and second reading and to be signed into law by next week according to the Speaker of the house.
