ANAMBRA ASSEMBLY PASSES N259.9 BN BUDGET

REPORTER: UCHE NDEKE

The Anambra State House of Assembly has N259.9 billion as 2023 budget of the state.

The bill was passed on Tuesday, following the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation during plenary.

At the plenary, Deputy Chairman of the committee, Mr. Smart Okafor, said the capital expenditure was increased from the initial N164.2 billion to N164.4 billion based on the needs of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, representing 63.2% of the total budget.

Mr. Okafor said that the recurrent expenditure was N95.4 billion, representing 36.8%.

The Speaker of the House, Mr. Uche Okafor, who presided over the plenary, commended the committee for a thorough job of the budget, before putting it to a voice vote for the adoption of the report, to which the lawmakers responded in affirmative.

The Speaker, thereafter, directed the Clerk of the House, Mrs. Esther Anaetoh, to send a copy of the bill to Governor Chukwuma Soludo for his assent.

The 2023 budget, which was presented about a month ago by the Governor scaled through first and second reading the same day before it was referred to the Finance and Appropriation Committee.

The Speaker also announced that the House would hold a valedictory session on December 8, for Late Dr. Nnamdi Okafor, Majority Leader of the House, who died on August 24, in South Africa.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU