2017 budget: Bagudu presents N139.3bn to House of Assembly

The Kebbi Governor, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, on Tuesday presented a budget proposal of N139.3billion for the year 2017 to the state House of Assembly.

Bagudu said the budget comprised N99.1billion capital expenditure and N40 billion recurrent expenditure.

In 2016, the state government budgeted N109.7 billion for the year.

The governor, who did not give a sectoral breakdown of the budget, said priority would be accorded to education, agriculture, health and infrastructure sectors just as effort would be made to boost internally generated revenue.

He said the 2017 budget would consolidate the gains achieved by the previous budget, improve infrastructure, empowerment, transparency and accountability.

“The 2016 budget had been very challenging, but we will work towards consolidating our past gains,” he added.

He ordered the suspension of all mining activities in the state pending the development of new guidelines for mining activities and the determination of 13 percent royalties for payment by mining firms.

He directed sole administrators of local government councils to present their 2017 budget proposals, stressing that beginning 2017, the councils would be allocated funds in line with their budgetary proposals.

He said the long overdue local government elections would be held this year.

The Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kamba, who presided over the presentation, assured that the lawmakers would ensure due diligence and speedy passage of the budget.

Kamba also assured that the assembly would ensure sustained cordial working relationship with the other arms of government in the state.