Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki
The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has presented the 2021 Appropriation Bill of N122, 852, 045, 22.49 to the state House of Assembly.
The bill tagged: ‘Budget of Stabilisation and Consolidation in a Recession’, is expected to have its major revenue from the Federal Allocation while other revenue heads are expected to come from sales of international market stores, land proceeds, sales of malls and other receipts.
The governor also projected 10.47 percent increase in the internally generated revenue (IGR) from N10,569,074,353.56 in 2020 budget to N12,858,297,657.83 representing 10.47 percent of the total expected revenue.
According to Umahi, “Our major revenue is expected to come from the Federation Account estimated at about N52billion or 42.33 percent of the budget. Other revenue heads like IGR, sales of international market stores, land proceeds, sales of malls, other receipts among others will account for the balance of N57.994billion or 47.53 percent of the total budget. We are projecting to increase our IGR from the projected N10, 569, 074,353 .56 in 2020 budget to N12, 858, 297,657.83 or 10.47 percent of our total expected revenue.
“In 2020, our projected actual revenue receipt by December 31, 2020, is N122, 138, 799, 059.13 which is 92.53 percent performance. We are therefore staying on the side of what is possible by our 2021 budget of N122, 852, 045, 222.49 which is just 0.6 percent higher than our projected 2020 budget performance.”
In the budget breakdown, human capital development and empowerment will gulp N3,259,779,838.94 or 2.65 percent of the total budget. The amount was intended to deploy N3billion as #ENDSARS empowerment programme for youths and women.
The governor said the programme had commenced with collation of names and their proposals of their choices of businesses, and he intends to reach out to about 250 persons with best proposals per local government area with N1million per person (per business).
The Ministry of Health and health-related programmes got the sum of N18,706,279,929.28 or 15.23 percent of the total budget.
The education sector got a total amount of N23,913,778,152.08, while the Ministry of Works and Transport got N9,206,693,563.56 or 7.49 percent of the total budget.
Umahi noted that the budget was intended to complete all on-going projects before starting new ones, including the completion of flyovers (bridges), dualisation of Abakaliki to Enugu and Abakaliki to Afikpo roads, the Iyere flyover bridge in Afikpo South Local Government Area, and the completion of the remaining 16 kilometre out of the 31km of Ntezi Agba Isu road in Ishielu and Onicha LGAs will also be the focus.
The governor said: “Under the Ministry of Infrastructures for Concession, we were developing the airport and few other infrastructures. We have opened bids for the airport equipment and we hope to mobilise the contractor in December 2020. Other major works at the airport will be completed in 2021, including the earth works, parks, terminal building, and concrete works of the 4km by 65m of the runway. We hope to open the airport for business by June 2022. The budget here is therefore N14,012,217,549.64 or 11.41 percent of the total budget.
“The total budget for these major MDA in line with our focus for 2021 is a total of N69billion or 56.24 percent of the budget. We have a total budget for COVID-19 cares and responses which is N21, 212, 326, 544.04 or 17.27 percent of the total budget.”
