…assures budget’ll achieve important macroeconomic goals, good governance delivery
BY FRANCIS KADIRI
KOGI State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on Thursday, presented a total budget of N145,896,072,913 to the State House of Assembly.
This is made up of Recurrent Expenditure of N90,151,291,251, representing 61.79 per cent; and Capital Expenditure of N55,744,781,662, representing 38.21 per cent.
The 2022 Budget, which was tagged “Budget of Accelerated Result”, was designed to achieve important macroeconomic goals while ensuring effective delivery of good governance as a public service.
The Governor noted that the objectives of the 2022 budget were ensuring the actualisation of the development priorities of the government as articulated in the State Development Plan and respective Sector Implementation Plans (SIPs) and maintaining a favourable proportion of Capital to Recurrent Expenditure.
He added that emphasis would be on completing all ongoing projects and adding new projects in areas of critical need; expanding revenue generation so as to reduce over-dependence on federation allocation; and maintaining a sustainable debt position, thereby reducing the State Domestic Debt profile.
He explained that the budget would seek to provide a conducive environment for investors and donor agencies to operate in the State while enhancing greater transparency, accountability and proper public expenditure management.
Governor Bello stressed that a good budget was defined by how deep it tapped into the existential realities of its target polity and by the tangible changes it was able to make in the life of the people during its lifespan.
While reviewing the 2021 budgetary performance, he noted that despite the continued adverse economic effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, there had been several infrastructural boosts, ranging from road constructions across the three senatorial districts, ongoing reference hospital in Okene, teaching and referral hospitals across the state with an ongoing Ganaja Flyover and Interchange, Lokoja among others
Governor Bello asserted that his government was constantly challenging itself to do better with its ability to harness the high quality human capital, hence the formation of Kogi State Economic Council (KOSEC) as a body to think outside the box and harvest ideas that would propel the State to further greatness.
He said that he would continue to implement the New Direction Blueprint by focused interventions in the expanded thematic areas, which include Education, Health, Infrastructure & Utilities, Youth Empowerment and Employment Creation, Civil Service & Pension Reforms, Security, Agriculture, Human Capital Development as well as Cooperation and Integration with the principal aims of the 2022 Budget of Accelerated Results to include wealth creation, poverty reduction, employment generation, conflict resolution, peace-building and enshrining fairness, transparency and accountability in the governance of the State.
The Governor noted that his government had also adopted several resolutions to increase its earnings from solid minerals, noting that with the 2023 budget presentation, the 13 per cent derivation from crude oil “produced on our land would have increased the state’s revenue streams, alongside more returns on investments in solid minerals”, adding that the state had also keyed fully into the Economy Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the Federal Government to ensure economic stability and quick measurable results.
