Umahi assents to 2020 Budget, vows to raise IGR

The Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi, has signed into law the 2020 appropriation bill of N178,136,634,975.38k.
Performing the function at the Executive Council chambers, Government House,  Abakaliki on Friday, the Governor explained that the main focus of the Budget was on  Infrastructure, Education and Economic Empowerment.
He called on all and sundry in the State to join hands to make the budget achieve the highest level of performance, adding that the 2019 Budget recorded great success.
Umahi emphasized that the completion of all ongoing projects, including the dualisation of Abakaliki-Enugu and Abakaliki-Afikpo highways were tasks that must be accomplished.
He maintained his resolve to build a world-class Stadium, College of Medicine, Ebonyi International Airport as well as empower more citizens in 2020 fiscal year, adding that his desire was to make more millionaires in the State.
While decrying the fluctuating federal revenue accruable to the State in relation to its developmental needs, he expressed dissatisfaction with the State’s Internally generated revenue statistics.
Umahi declared that January 2020 would witness aggressive IGR drive across the State, which would have no sacred cow.
According to him, while other States recorded between N2 billion and N3 billion in IGR in the last month, Ebonyi only struggled to scoop about N300 million, a development he said was an indication that all that were collected did not enter into government coffers.
Governor Umahi further stressed that his ambition was to bequeath an economically viable State to the next administration, while consolidating all his capital projects.
He estimated that rent from the Shopping Mall, 60 per cent of it as downpayment, had already been taken, and was capable of adding N300 million into the State coffers every year, while sale of shops at the Margaret Umahi International Market has added to the State over N10 billion.
Umahi further explained: “Last month, what was posted to us as IGR was only N300 million, and that is very devastating.
“I have asked the SSG to issue query to the Internal Revenue Board.
“I have declared January a battle ground for internally generated revenue in this State.
“We will do nothing else than to chase all our revenue from the day we came into office to this day.
“There are lots of short changing against us that even some civil servants also engage in such shoddy acts.
“And we must pay minimum wage.
“We can’t be an exception.
“I have told the Speaker that they have to be available.
“We will throw all rules to the wind to go and look for this money.
“So, there are going to be committee on Solid Mineral, committee on integrated IGR and in fact, every kind of committee….
“For the next 18 months, we will chew projects in this State, after which I leave and allow you share the money as you like.”
Governor Umahi also adopted the event to announce another shift in date for the movement of Abakpa Main Market traders to the International Market from the previous January 10 to February 10, 2020.
Umahi explained that his decision was guided by conscience going by the discovery that electricity, toilet and water facilities had not been properly fixed in the two lots earlier assigned to the trader.
He maintained that any government that was worth its name should be able to listen to genuine concerns of its subjects, adding that a task force would be set to immediately fix the facilities before the irrevocable date of movement.
To fix the facilities, according to the Governor, would cost the State about N3 billion.
Speaker Francis Nwifuru, while presenting the appropriation document to the Governor for assent, described Umahi as a leader with divine grace.
Nwifuru expressed optimism and confidence that the 2020 Budget would further consolidate the superlative all-round development sweeping through the State, courtesy of the Governor.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Cletus Ofoke, in an opening remark, said the Governor’s duty was in tandem with section 121 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
The ceremony was attended by the House of Assembly members, State Executive Council members, technocrats and other stakeholders.
Recall that the budget allocated N40,080,516,990.04k to Recurrent Expenditure, representing 25.87 per cent of the total appropriation.
Capital Expenditure was assigned the greater 74.13 per cent, amounting to N132,056,117,985.38k.