ANAMBRA ASSEMBLY PASSES #169.6BN REVISED BUDGET AS GOV SOLUDO SEEKS #100BN LOAN TO FUND BUDGET
REPORTER: UCHE NDEKE
The Anambra State House of Assembly has passed the 2022 revised budget estimate submitted by Governor Chukwuma Soludo on May 19, 2022.
The budget, which is #169,621,744,131.00 (one hundred and sixty nine billion, six hundred and twenty one million, seven hundred and forty-four thousand, one hundred and thirty one naira) was passed in a voice vote.
A breakdown of the budget shows that the recurrent expenditure is #61,375,259,671.00 while the Capital Expenditure stands at 108, 246, 484, 460.00.
The Finance and Appropriation Chairman and Member representing Anambra East constituency, Mr. Emeneka said the house recommended that the list of roads to be constructed in the 2022 revised budget should be contract specific and must cut across all the thirty constituencies in the state.
He noted that emphasis was also made on the need for all MDAs to be conversant with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act while also urging that budget items should not be lumped together to ensure transparency and proper project monitoring.
In an interview, the Member representing Njikoka Constituency one, Dr. Timothy Ifedioramma, said a budget that needed one hundred billion naira loan to be funded was not realistic, especially with the year remaining only five months to end.
However, the member representing Anaocha Constituency One, Mr Ebere Ejiofor while commending his colleagues for doing a thorough job on the budget, said the proposed loan when gotten and put to good and transparent use, it would no doubt impact positively on the implementation of the budget, especially in the areas of Education, Road and Security.
The House adjourned until Tuesday July 19 for a valedictory session for one of its members who was killed recently.
Earlier, the House announced it received a letter from Governor Chukwuma Soludo asking the law makers to pass a resolution to enable the executive arm to obtain #100,000,000,000.00 (one hundred billion naira) loan.
The letter, which was dated July 5, 2022 and signed by the Governor, was read by the Speaker, Mr. Uche Okafor, who presided over the plenary.
According to the letter, the executive arm is praying the law makers to pass a resolution that would enable the government to borrow one hundred billion naira loan from Global Limit Multi Option Term to develop the infrastructure of the state.
The loan, according to the letter, is to be used to fund the 2022 revised budget before the House of Assembly.
The Speaker, Mr. Uche Okafor, after reading the letter to his colleagues, refereed it to the Committee on Public Accounts, asking them to liaise with the executive on the loan conditions and report back to the House on Thursday, July 21, 2022.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Somtochukwu Udeze, promised to expedite action and get back to the House on the next adjourned date.
Meanwhile, the House received two petitions, which were later referred to the Committee on Public Petition for considerations.
EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
