THESHIELD Garkuwa
Related Articles
. . . As Education Top List
Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Uba Sani has on Monday presented a draft budget of N458,271,299,477.66, of which N318,836,576,588.28 is Capital Expenditure and N139,434,722,889.38 is Recurrent expenditure, representing a capital to recurrent ratio of 69.57% to 30.43%. within the multi-year time-frame of 2024-2026.
In the budget titled: “Budget of Rural Transformation for Inclusive Development”, Gov. Sani’s administration proposed to spend N115,421,129,011.16 or 25.19% on Education, and the sum of N71,647,821,975.33 or 15.63% on Health.
According to the budget, the sum of N93,597,652,206.40 which is one-fifth of the budget or 20.42% is allocated to the Economic sector, including Agriculture, Public Works and Infrastructure, and Housing.
While presenting the budget before the members of the Kaduna state house of assembly, the governor further explained that the draft Budget prioritises capital spending in accordance with his administration’s SUSTAIN Agenda, which not only aims to deliver inclusive development through the provision of critical infrastructure, especially in the rural communities, but also delivering on social protection and human capital development to reinvigorate the productivity of the people; create jobs and boost the economy.
According to Gov. Sani, the effective implementation of the budget, shall bridge the gap between the rural and urban areas, revitalize the rural economies, address poverty frontally, empower the people, address the state’s infrastructure deficits, and renew the people’s belief in governance and democracy.
Being the first budget of his administration, Gov. Sani urged the lawmakers to give expeditious consideration to the Budget, this is just has he said: ” with this Budget, we shall move decisively to fulfil the promises we made to the good people of Kaduna State.
“As you are aware, our administration is anchored on 7 pillars of Safety and Security, Upgrade of Infrastructure, Strengthening Institutions, Trade and Investment, Agriculture, Investment in Human Capital and Nurturing Citizens Engagement.
“The central policy thrust of our administration is Rural Transformation. We are committed to revitalizing our rural economies through massive infrastructural development.
“We assumed office at a most difficult and challenging time. Our people have been struggling to stay afloat in these harsh economic climate. As a government, we have been unrelenting in fashioning and implementing policies, programmes and projects to bring succour to the poor, underserved and the vulnerable. We are determined to reverse the negative development indices of Kaduna State. We are creatively and innovatively addressing the challenges of poverty and youth unemployment. We are prioritizing women and youth empowerment.
“Our administration places high premium on Human Capital Development. Consequently, Education and Health Sectors are receiving priority attention. We are determined to revitalize the Agricultural Sector in order to create jobs for our teeming youth population and ensure food security in our state. To ensure a safe environment for farming and business activities, we have made safety and security our topmost priority. Our security agencies have made remarkable progress in securing our state despite challenges.
“In line with our commitment to deepening citizens participation in governance, we held a Townhall Meeting on the 2024 – 2026 Multi-Year Budget on December 12, 2023. At the meeting, our citizens made observations and inputs into the 2024 Budget. We have incorporated most of the inputs into the budget that I am presenting to this Honourable House. We are determined to mainstream a process – led and participatory approach to budget making in Kaduna State. We are servants of the people and must at all times consult the people in matters that affect their welfare and security.”
While tasking the lawmakers to give expeditious consideration to the proposed draft budget, the Governor reiterated that the people expect so much from the government, hence the need for government not to fail the people.
