Musa Na Allah Sokoto
Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu on Friday presented a Budget proposal of 526.8 billion Naira to the state House of Assembly.
The Budget tagged “Budget Transformation and Infrastructural Stability” has 66 percent of the total sum allocated to Capital Expenditure while 44 was set aside for recurrent expenditure that includes payment of new 70,000 Naira minimum wage and backlog of pension and gratuities to retired civil servants.
According to him, 349.3 billion Naira was meant for capital projects while 176.2 billion Naira was earmarked for recurrent expenditure estimates.
The education sector to the governor gets lion’s share of 25 percent of the total sum, followed by the health sector which has 15 percent.
The Governor while addressing members of the state Assembly and other stakeholders at the house chamber expressed his sincere appreciation to civil servants in the state for their continued support and cooperation with his administration.
He however announced the approval of 70,000 naira minimum Wage which he said will take effect in January 2025.
He reiterated that the state government has not borrowed a single Kobo as a loan to execute any of the projects so far completed.
“The challenges facing the country, he said are Global and even local factors that affect the people and the ability to implement projects and programs effectively, but despite such numerous challenges we were able to record considerable success in all our priority areas”.
“We will remain prudent in our activities and sincere in the discharge of our duties. I urge every public servant to uphold our commitment to service delivery as we embark on yet another year in office.
“The baton is now with this Honorable House, and we look forward to the collaborative engagements that you shall embark upon to fine-tune our budget proposal to align with the aspirations of this house and its constituents.
In his response, the Speaker of the House assured the Governor and citizens that the House would carefully analyze the Draft Budget, conduct effective oversight, and monitor the implementation of the developmental projects outlined in the 2025 Draft Budget once it is approved.
“We are committed to working together with the Executive Arm to ensure the timely passage and effective implementation of the Budget,” he said.
