The Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, on Thursday presented a budget of N128.10 billion for the 2018 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly.
Th budget, which is tagged: “The Peoples’ Budget,” according to the governor, will be based on community participation, inclusiveness and responsiveness to the yearning and aspirations of the people.
The 2018 budget, which is over N19 billion higher than the 2017 of N108 billion, has a Statutory Allocation at N57,610,992,019; Value Added Tax of N9,890,656,457; Internally Generated Revenue of N11,650,465,457; Capital receipts N35,854,489,391; Paris Club Refund N10 billion; and Return from Pensions N3 billion.
Accordingly, Bello said the total projection for the 2018 proposed budget is N128,010,602,977 and it is more than the 2017 approved budget by N19,996,304,726 put at 16.62 per cent.
Presenting the document before members of the state House of Assembly, Bello said the proposed budget comprises a recurrent expenditure of N52,151,626,082, which is 40.74 per cent of the total budget, with Personnel Cost at N91,016,961,635; Consolidated Funds charges of N9,743,464,447; Overhead Cost of N11,391,200.
The capital expenditure stands at N75,858,976,895 or 59.26 percent of the total budget size.
Breakdown is as follows: Administration, N9,944,734,640; Economic N44,132,945,270; Social N20,471,296,985; Law and Justice N1,310,000,000.
The governor further said that the budget is unique as it is demand-driven and anchored on the expressed needs of the people.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the House, Alhaji Ahmed Marafa, while assuring of cordial relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms, said it would ensure the early passage of the bill.