Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan yesterday, in Asaba, signed the 2014 Appropriation Bill of N451 billion as approved by the state House of Assembly into law.
Tagged budget of ‘Consolidation, Sustainable Economic Growth and Development,’ the breakdown showed that N289,100,787,009 representing 64% was earmarked for capital expenditure while N161,736,440,073 representing 36% was set aside for recurrent expenditure. Performing the ceremony, Uduaghan, who also signed three other bills into law, explained that his administration budgeted more on capital projects so as to deliver more dividends of democracy to the electorate.
His words: “This is very crucial because like you are aware, we try as much as possible to spend more money on capital projects because this is what our people see, this is the benefit to the electorate.
“In the last few years, we have tried to reduce our recurrent expenditure. We know there are challenges as a result of upward of review of wages, recruitment into the civil service and pension, this will certainly skyrocket wage bill. But we will try as much as possible to control the recurrent.”
Uduaghan had last December presented a budget proposal of N391.51 for the 2014 fiscal year to the House for scrutiny but the lawmakers jerked the budget size to N451billion, a practice that has become constant in the last three years.
But giving reasons for the increase in the budget size, Speaker of the House, Victor Ochei told newsmen that the increment was informed by the need to complete some critical projects embarked upon by the administration before the tenure elapses in 2015.
“This is the last full budget that this administration would have; therefore it became necessary that we provide enough funds for them to complete some on-going projects. If the funds were not provided for, then of course, the fiscal responsibility law does not also permit you to complete those projects. And because the governor is bent on completing those critical projects, we needed to provide enough funds,” Ochei said.
