The Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya has presented the proposed 2023 Budget of Further Consolidation of 173,697,242,000.00 Naira to the State House of Assembly.
Governor Yahaya said he was toeing the line of his administration’s desire to continue offering services to meet the development needs of the people of Gombe State in the 2023 fiscal year and beyond.
Governor Yahaya said “the recurrent expenditure stood at 41.4%, which is 71,856,492,000.00 naira, while the Capital Expenditure was 101,840,750,000.00 naira, representing the remaining 58.6%.
“We envisage generating the sum of NGN100, 615,640,000.00 only as recurrent revenue, and the sum of N74, 700,000,000.00 only as capital receipts. Our estimated closing balance for 2023 is expected to be N1, 618, 398,000.00 only.”
Allocation by Sector
“Allocating the budget by sectors of the economy shows that works and infrastructure will take the highest allocation of 14,986,000,000.00 naira, while the Education Sector will get 11,366,700,000.00 naira, for both lower and higher education.
‘Under our Network 11-100 initiatives, we have constructed over 500km of rural and urban roads, linking our rural communities and opening up social and economic opportunities. We have also fast-tracked the electrification process of rural communities through various interventions. To continue with these efforts in 2023, the sum of 14,986,000,000.00 naira only is allocated for works and infrastructure in the 2023 fiscal year,” Governor Yahaya said.
Meanwhile, the sum of 3,015,000,000.00 Naira has been allocated for the agriculture sector and animal husbandry, while the sum of 3, 540,600,000.00 Naira was proposed for Rural, Community Development, and Cooperatives, to enhance the provisions of access roads, electricity, water supply, healthcare facilities, education, and infrastructure.
Housing Development
According to the budget, 11, 110,000,000.00 Naira is being proposed for investment in the Housing and Urban Development sub-sector.
Health
Governor Yahaya said the sum of 6,961,500,000.00 Naira has been earmarked for the health sector, in his administration’s commitment to revitalising the sector.
He said “the sum of 555,000,000.00 Naira had been allocated for Internal Security and Ethical Orientation.
“The attention we gave to internal security and ethical orientation right from May 2019 to date has been yielding positive results. In sustaining these efforts, we supported the law enforcement agencies to deliver their statutory mandates, strengthened informal intelligence-gathering mechanisms, entrench the involvement of traditional institutions in security management as well as increased security presence in flashpoint communities. Other actions taken include the setting up of a Peace and Reconciliation Committee, strengthening the operations of Marshals, and the conduct of the first Gombe State security and Peace Summit.”
Others are the implementation of the compulsory free Universal Basic Education Policy, improved teachers’ welfare, provided critical learning facilities and equipment as well as massive investment in the construction and renovation of schools’ infrastructure.
The Governor said; “We are equally upgrading 5 legacy Secondary schools to mega schools that can accommodate 1,500 students with facilities, mopping up 400,000 out-of-school children, and just recently recruited 1,000 Teachers. These efforts will be continued in 2023. It is in this regard that the sum of N5, 939,700,000.00 only is allocated for investment in the education sector in 2023.”
Mercy Chukwudiebere
