Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has assented to the 2020 Appropriation Bill, with a promise to fast-track infrastructural projects for the benefit of Deltans during the period.
The governor signed the bill in Asaba in the presence of the Speaker Delta State House of Assembly, principal officers of the House and the clerk, said higher receipts were expected from internal sources to augment revenue from the Federation Account.
Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, who presented to the governor the bill passed by the legislature, said that the Bill went through a rigorous process before passage.
Okowa assured that in spite of the trying times in the nation his administration was poised to implement the budget towards achieving the desired developmental goals, adding that he looked forward to increased internally generated revenue (IGR).
”With the Appropriation Bill signed into law today, it has become obvious that we as a government now have the financial document with which we can work, and we will hit the ground running in early 2020.
”It is very instructive for us members of the executive arm of government that we pray that God will provide the resources projected within the budget in terms of internally-generated revenue. ”This is because if the resources do come from our IGR we will do the best that we can to execute projects and programmes in such a manner that it will impact very well on the lives of our people.
“There is no doubt that despite the fluctuating price of oil, Nigeria still depends a lot on oil for the purpose of funding its budget both in the oil-producing and non-oil producing states and the Federal Government.
”As a state, we have tried to be very reasonable with our budget size and I believe that it is the right thing for us to do because the budget itself is supposed to be a document in which we have a pact with the people of Delta, so if we have projections, we must put down those projections that we think are achievable.
“In the budget, we have ensured that some key projects have been provided for which includes the construction of new technical colleges in all 25 local government areas in the state because as a government we believe that acquisition of technical skills will go a long way in equipping our youths to face the challenges ahead.
”The completion of all drainage projects as well as road projects will be seen too; our health sector will also receive more attention as well as other sectors.’’
He thanked members of the legislature for due diligence while ensuring speedy passage of the appropriation bill. “I truly thank Mr. Speaker and the House of Assembly for being very diligent in the course of their duties in handling the Appropriation Bill.
Earlier, Speaker Oborevwori said that the Appropriation Bill went through a rigorous process before it was passed with a little upward review of the figure in the original proposal.
The budget figure was increased to N395.47 billion from N389.19 billion proposed by the governor in the Bill presented on November 6, 2019. Recurrent expenditure is N172.15 billion and capital expenditure, N223.32billion.
Source: THISDAY
