Niger proposes N128 bn budget for 2018, as Agric gets lion’s share
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, has presented a budget estate of over N128billion for the 2018 fiscal year which is nineteen billion higher than the 2017 approved budget.
Presenting the estimates before the State House of Assembly, in Minna, the governor noted that the budget which he christen, the peoples budget was aimed at re connecting with the ordinary citizens.
According to the governor, the state government 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.
He noted 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.
The governor, while giving a breakdown of the 2018.estimates, said recurrent expenditure is to gulp the sum of over N52bn, which represents about 40.7 per cent of the total revenue projection while, capital project is to cost an estimated over N 75bn, which represents about 59.8 per cent of the budget.
The budget is to be financed through statutory allocation, which will account for about N5 7.6bn expected as capital receipt, value added tax will contribute over N9bn, Paris refund over N10bn, internal generated revenue over N11bn, cash receipt N35bn, pension reduction over N10bn.
Giving an highlight of the 2018 budget, the governor disclosed that the state government would spend the sum N44bn 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.
He also announced plans by his administration to recruit a total of two thousand graduate as part of his administration effort at curbing the worsening youth unemployment in the State stressing that the government will do everything humanly possible to give the youths a sense of belonging.
On rural feeder roads, the governor assured that the sum of N2bn has been set aside in the 2018 budget estimate to open link roads across various communities in rural access road programme in partnership with the World Bank.
Saka Bolaji, Minna
