Plateau State House of Assembly has on Friday approved the request by Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the state for a supplementary budget of Twenty Seven Billion Naira, (N27,000,000,000,00), only.
The approval follow a request by the state executive Governor as read by the Speaker of the House, Moses Sule during an emergency sitting of the Assembly at the Plateau State House of Assembly complex in Jos.
According to the governor’s letter, the request is in consideration of the fact that the inherited budget is not a complete reflection of his administration agenda.
The Assembly also approved a loan request of the governor to the tune of One Billion, Five Hundred and Sixty Two Million, Eight Hundred and Eighteen Thousand, One Hundred Four Naira, Thirty-One Kobo only, (1, 562, 818,124, 31) to enable the state government pay the counterpart funding to access funds from Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
“Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, you may be aware that the Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board has been unable to access funding from UBEC, from 2nd half of 2021 to date, due to the state government’s inability to provide counterpart funding that will qualify the state to access same”. Parts of the letter read.
During the plenary, the House also passed the 2024 budget proposal presented to them by the state executive Governor on Tuesday.
The governor had earlier laid before the Assembly a budget proposal of Two Hundred and Ninety-Five Billion, Four Hundred and Thirty-Four Million, Five Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand,Four Hundred and Sixty-Four Naira only (N295,434,568,464.00) for the 2024 fiscal year.
But after budget defence by Ministries, Departments and Agencies which was call off midway on Friday for the emergency sitting, the House passed the budget to the tune of Three Hundred and Fourteen Billion, Eight Hundred and Sixty Five Million, One Hundred and Forty Eight thousand, Five Hundred and Sixty Three Naira (N314, 865, 148, 563) as total budget size for the 2024 fiscal year.
Present the report of the budget, Chairman of the Assembly Standing Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Danjuma Azi noted that the total amount comprises of One Hundred and Sixty Two Billion, Three Hundred and Twenty Five Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty-Three Thousand, Five Hundred and Sixty One Naira only (N162, 325, 733, 561) as recurrent expenditure.
Adding that, One Hundred and Sixty Two Billion, Five Hundred and Twenty Nine Million, Four Hundred and Fourteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety-Two Naira only as capital expenditure.
This shows an increase of Nineteen Billion, Four Hundred and Thirty Million, Five Hundred and Eighty Thousand Ninety Nine Naira only (N19, 430, 580,099) from the initial budget proposal submitted by the governor.
Our reporter observed that during the budget presentation on Tuesday by the state governor and the passage of the budget today, all the Seven opposition’s All Progressive Congress, APC, members in the House were not in attendance.
Meanwhile, the House had during the plenary moved their sitting to the Old Government House in Rayfield to pave way for renovation work at the Assembly complex as moved by the majority leader, Ishaku Maren and unanimously agreed through a voice vote by the members.