From Yakubu Mustapha Minna
The Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has presented a budget estate of over one hundred and twenty eight million Naira(N128billion) for the 2018 fiscal year which is N19.9 billion above the 2017 approved budget.
Bello while presenting the estimates before the State House of Assembly yesterday in Minna, hinted that the budget was tagged ‘the peoples budget’ aimed at reconnecting with the ordinary citizens of the state.
Consequently, the Governor explained that the state government had decided to hike up the 2018.budget from last year’s one hundred and nine billion Naira budget because of the relative peace in the Niger Delta and the upward swing in the oil price in the international market with the fact that the country is technically out of recession.
Bello further said that the state 2017 budget was faithfully implemented even though he never gave a percentage of implementation said the since government is a continuous process, the administration ensured the completion of a number of ongoing project and embarked on some new ones.
Governor Bello during the breakdown of the 2018.estimates said recurrent expenditure is to gulp the sum of over fifty two billion Naira (52.1billion) which represents about 40.7percent of the total revenue projection while, capital project is to cost an estimated over seventy five Billion Naira (75.8billion)which represents about 59.8percent of the budget.
The budget is to be financed through statutory allocation, which will account for about 5 7.6 billion expected as capital receipt, value added tax will contribute over 9billion, Paris refund over 10billion Naira, internal generated revenue over 11billion Naira, cash receipt 35billion Naira, pension reduction over 10billion .
While giving the highlight of the 2018 budget, he stated that the state government will spend the sum 44billion Naira on the Economic sector with Agriculture receiving top priority as the administration will ensure that 200 hectares of land would be cleared for the State accelerated Agriculture scheme that will also see the upgrading of farm centres at Tegina, Gwada and Nasko with modern farming implements.
Governor Bello said the rural feeder roads would take the sum of two billion Naira in the 2018 budget estimate to open link roads across various communities in rural access road programme in partnership with the World Bank projects.
