Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, thursday presented N119, 550,401,040.00 as the 2020 Appropriation Bill to the state House of Assembly.
Critical sectors like infrastructure, education, health, water and sanitation, and agriculture top the list of allocations in that order.
The 2020 budget tagged: ‘Budget of Restoration’ was prepared solely to meet the critical needs, yearnings, and aspirations of the citizens in line with the state developmental plans, the governor said.
On expenditure, personnel takes N36,465,191, 230.00 (30.50 percent); overhead has N20,009,802,760.00 while consolidated revenue fund takes N1,200,000,000.00.
Recurrent expenditure was put at N57,674, 993, 990.00 while the capital expenditure was put at N61,875,407,050.00.
The breakdown of the budget further shows that the infrastructure sector takes the largest amount of N9,318,841, 640.00 (15.06 percent) followed by water and sanitation sector with the sum of N7, 581,241,350.00. (12.25 percent), while N6, 517, 762, 830.00 (10.53 percent) was budgeted for the education sector.
Governance and administration sector got N4,323,555,790.00 (6.99 percent) while N4,311,456,450.00 (6.97 percent) was budgeted for the health sector.
Also, the agriculture sector got N2,363,716,760.00 (3.82 percent); security, law and justice sector got N1,425,784,530.00; environment sector got N736,347,190.00 (1.19 percent); commerce and industry sector got N638,851,490.00 (1.03 percent); while the economic planning and budget sector got N345,864,600.00 (0.56 percent).
Other are information and communication, N205, 380,210.00 (0.33 percent), and social development and welfare got N129,930, 370.00 (0.21 percent).
Addressing the Assembly during the budget presentation, the governor said his administration is irrevocably committed to raising the standard of living of the citizens by ensuring judicious implementation of the budgetary provision.
He noted that the 2020 budget was crafted based on the state Development Plan (2019-2028), medium-term sector strategy (2020-2022); ‘Thank You Tour Report and Department for International Development (UK-DFID) supported citizens’ need assessment carried out in 30 local governments and one area office.
He said: “I stand to assure the good people of the state that this administration will continue to pursue judiciously the formulation and implementation of policies, programmes and projects that will bring about the restoration and sustainable growth of our dear state as will be unfolded in the proposed 2020 estimates.
“Since the 2020 draft budget is in line with state Development Plans (2019-2028) our major focus is to meet the yearnings of the good people of the state and the completion of the ongoing projects.
“It is indeed with a high sense of duty, therefore, that I present the appropriation bill for the 2020 fiscal year. I, therefore, acknowledge the maturity, discipline and patriotism behind your individual and collective conduct so far in your bid to uphold the tenets of democratic governance.” The Assembly Speaker, Hon. Timothy Owoeye, promised that the Assembly will not hesitate to give the Appropriation Bill a speedy passage.
He assured the governor that the members are ready to collaborate with him and other arms to move the state forward.
