GOV OBIANO PRESENTS BUDGET PROPOSAL OF #141.97BN TO ASSEMBLY

REPORTER: ONYINYE CHIJIOBI

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has presented 2022 appropriation bill of 141.97 billion naira to the State House of Assembly for approval.

Presenting the budget proposal at the floor of the house, Governor Willie Obiano said it would help sustain past performance and ensure the state maintained its status as a business hub and investment destination.

The 2022 Appropriation bill is tagged the “budget for continuity, consolidation and economic prosperity.”

According to the Governor, a total of 81.5 billion naira will be spent on capital expenditure, while 60.9 billion naira is for recurrent expenditure.

He said the estimate was premised on the crude oil price benchmark of fifty dollars per barrel.

Governor Obiano said that expected revenue from Value Added Tax was 19.8 billion naira, while other capital receipts is put at 23.38 billion naira.

He said that the Internally Generated Revenue was projected at 3.35 billion monthly and 40.36 billion annually for 2022 compared to three billion monthly and 36.6 billion annually in 2020, saying that his administration planned to achieve these through instituted reform.

On personnel expenditure, the Governor said that 1.8 billion naira monthly would be spent as salaries and wages, while total over head were estimated at 1.98 billion naira.

The budget breakdown revealed that construction of roads, bridge works and infrastructure had the highest allocation of 23 billion naira followed by healthcare, which had 5.88 billion naira.

Education and agriculture were allocated 3.23 billion naira and three billion naira respectively, while community social development projects got 1.4 billion naira.

Water resources and public utilities got 2.1 billion naira while environment got 3.42 billion naira, while small and medium enterprises development got two billion naira.

On the 2021 budget, the Governor noted that despite the disruption in economic activities occasioned by the sit at home campaign by non state actors, the present administration achieved a recurrent expenditure half year budget performance rate of approximately 35.4% while capital expenditure stood at 59.6% that led to an aggregate half year budget performance of 50%.

Receiving the budget, the Speaker, Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr. Uche Okafor, said the presentation was necessary to obtain legislative consent for the amount of money to be spent in the coming financial year.

The Speaker promised that the Assembly would continue to work in synergy with the executive for the good of the people and the development of the state.

He said that the house had already scrutinized the 2022-2024 Multi Year Budget Framework, fiscal strategy paper and budget policy statement document and approved it after necessary adjustments.

Mr. Okafor said that the lawmakers were duty bound to painstakingly look at the budget and come up with a legal framework that would satisfy the intent of the government and the development expectations of the people.

The Majority Leader, Mr. Nnamdi Okafor, representing Awka South 1 Constituency moved the motion for the bill to be read the first time and was seconded by the Minority Leader, Mr. Onyebuchi Offor.

In a vote of thanks, the member representing Anambra East, Mr. Obinna Emenaka, who assured the Governor that they would give due consideration to the bill, urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies to prepare for budget defence.

Meanwhile, 2021 budget, which stood at 143.65 billion is higher than the 2022 budget, which stands at 141.97 billion naira.