Date Published: 12/11/09

Ekiti to spend N67.4 billion next year

Ekiti State Governor, Engr. Segun Oni has presented a 2010 Budget Estimate of N67, 477,345,645.17 to the State House of Assembly, with an assurance that the budget when passed into law would be strictly implemented to achieve the desired objectives of continued development of physical and social economic infrastructures in the State.

Presenting the Budget Estimate tagged; “Budget of Assurance”, Governor Oni said that the sum of N30, 468,555,675.07 representing 45 percent of the total budget would be for recurrent expenditure while N37, 008,789,970.10 representing 55 percent of the budget has allocated to capital projects.

Under the recurrent expenditure, personnel cost would gulp N5, 487,155,675.00 (8.13%), other charges will take N2, 991,700,000.00 (4.43%); recurrent grants to parastatals and tertiary institutions, N12, 109, 200, 00.00 (17.95%); transfer to other funds, N4, 440,000,000.00 (6.58%) and consolidated revenue fund charges will take N5, 440,500,000.07 (8.06%).

For the capital expenditure, the Economic Sector, comprising of Agriculture and Rural Development, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), job creation/employment generation, micro credit and poverty reduction; and infrastructure will take N16,321,025,940.00 (44.10%); Social Sector, comprising education, health, information services and social development will gulp N9,167,850,000.00 (24.77%); Environmental Development Sector, which includes town and country planning, sewage and drainage, emergency and waste management takes N2,114,500,000.00 (5.71%) while the General Administration Sector will take N9,405,413,970.10 (25.41%).

Reviewing the N90.6 billion 2009 Budget, which was later reviewed downward to N58.2 billion, Governor Oni said; “Two important factors are germane to the review of the 2009 budget. The first one is the general global economic meltdown, which has constrained the execution of intended capital projects.

“In Ekiti State in particular, efforts to implement programmes approved in the 2009 budget have been inhibited by our limited resources, particularly as they relate to our Internally Generated Revenue capacity.  

“The second factor is the period of interregnum in the governance of the State.”

Speaking on the 2010 budget, Governor Oni said the State Government would focus more attention on the completion of ongoing capital projects and would embark on only a few priority new ones that would add value to the lives of the majority of the people of the State.

He gave objectives of the 2010 Budget to include; “Radical expansion of the internal revenue base through a pragmatic and sustainable approach; Commitment to the completion of on-going projects; improvement on the quality and functionality of education; promotion of economic activities through support for enterprise development; maintenance of effective, efficient and well motivated public service for enhanced productivity; reduction in the level of unemployment with the ultimate goal of alleviating poverty through provision on micro credit and support for enterprise development; increasing the effectiveness and functionality of the health sector with a view to improving the quality of health care delivery service; improvement in social economic infrastructure such as rural/urban roads, rural \/urban water supply and rural electrification and provision of enabling environment for food security and agro-based industries with immense private sector participation.

While urging the House to expedite action on the budget estimate, Governor Oni said; “It behoves therefore on this Honourable House to share our vision on the needs of the people as articulated in the budget and consider same.”

He also enjoined all stakeholders in the State project to team up with his administration to speed up its development efforts.

Responding to the presentation, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olatunji Odeyemi assured that the House would do justice the estimate.

He however canvassed the inclusion of construction of the Ogotun-Ikere road in the capital projects for 2010. The road, which was constructed by the administration of former Governor Ayodele Fayose has since become a death trap.