By: Hajara Umar Nataala

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has signed the state’s N269.7 billion budget into law for 2022 with about a one per cent increase. According to him, the capital expenditure takes atleast N172.53 billion, while the recurrent takes about N95.4 billion.

“This year’s appropriation bill would be financed from recurrent revenues of N113.84 billion, comprising N48.22 billion statutory allocation, N34.53 billion Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and N20.72 billion Value Added Tax (VAT),” he stated.

Presenting the bill for assent, yesterday, in Maiduguri, House of Assembly Speaker, Abdulkarim Lawan, disclosed: “The House Committee on Appropriation and Standing Orders, in consultation with various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), have adjusted the budget size.”

He said that this year’s budget was increased from N268 billion to N269.7 billion, with an increase of N1.7 billion (0.63 per cent).

The budget adjustments, according to him, was introduced to help capture five important areas of the appropriation bill that was just signed into law.

On the implementation of the budget, Governor Zulum explained that: ‘The law is very clear as regards to the expenditures without budgetary provisions,” warning members of the State Executive Council (SEC) to be careful.

Governor Zulum who also signed the Child Protection and the Violence Against Human Prohibition bills into law. Stated that, the implementation of such an Act would assist Borno residents immensely with their daily activities.

Signing the bills, yesterday, at the Government House, Maiduguri, he said: “The Child Rights Act was amended in accordance to our culture, norms, religion and traditions.”
He noted that some clauses were “omitted and inserted” after due consideration from the House of Assembly to pass the two bills into law. On how the bills were passed, the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Kaka Lawan, disclosed: “We sat down to draft the executive bills based on the instructions of Governor Zulum. We were then sent to the House of Assembly for deliberations; as such amendments may affect their norms and traditions.”
Source: The Guardian