From Yakubu Mustapha Minna
Niger state House of Assembly has passed 2024 budget of Six Hundred and Thirteen Billion, Nine Hundred and Ninety Four Million, Eight Hundred and One Thousand, Six Hundred and Ninety Steven Naira (N613,994,801,697) passed in to law
The budget estimate was increased with over seven hundred and nineteen million naira (N719,999,999) from the earlier amount (N613,274,801,698) presented by governor Mohammed Umar Bago to the house.
The budget has over four hundred and sixty four (N406,064) billion naira as capital expenditure while the recurrent expenditure stood at over one hundred and forty nine (N149) billion naira.
Presenting the report before it’s passage chairman House standing committee on appropriation Zubairu Ismaila said the increase is as a result of the economic realities.
The lawmaker said in a bid to accommodate adjustment of some critical areas of the budget the committee look in to various sources of revenue and discovered that improvement could be made from statutory allocation.
The Speaker Barrister Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji said that the budget should be submitted to the house three months to the end of the year to give room for proper scrutiny and early passage.
He commended his colleagues for their relentless effort towards ensuring the passage of the budget despite the limited time frame.