By: Oginyi Nkechinyere
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State on Tuesday December 18th presented the 2019 appropriation Bill of N188.4b Tagged “Budget of Divine Fulfillment” to the Ebonyi State House of Assembly with Education sector taking 12% of the bill.
The Governor said he will introduce E- learning to science schools in the state and encourage school feeding in 2019.
In the presentation of the appropriation Bill which was at the tune of N188, 401, 913, 868, Governor Umahi explained the bill had gone through the state executive Council during which the council analyzed the performance of the 2018 budget and expressed satisfaction with the level of performance and implementation.
He noted that the 2018 budget witnessed a lot of hitches and affecting every sector of the state economy simultaneously citing global instability occasioned by persistent incidence of terrorism and other challenges.
According to him, the state pursued the implementation of the 2018 budget with resilience and determination to ensure the attainment of ambitious target even in the face of scarcity of funds.
“The 2019 budget tagged Budget of Divine Fulfillment has expenditure ratio between recurrent and capital expenditure of 22.1 percent to 77 percent with recurrent expenditure gulping N41.556b and capital of N49.068b” He said.
He said the 2019 budget which is lower than 2018 budget is expected to take care of recurrent expenditure and is expected to address all ongoing capital projects across the State.
Our Correspondent reports that the member representing Ikwo south constituency in the house of Assembly Hon. Chike Imo Oguji moved a motion that the 2019 appropriation bill be accepted as a working document in the house.
The motion was seconded by Hon Franka Okpo and the speaker at the end put the motion on the voice vote and was unanimously adopted by the house.
The bill for the law to appropriate the budget of divine fulfillment after the adoption passed first reading.
Earlier in his address of welcome the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of, Hon. Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru commended the Governor for adequate utilization of all resources accruing to the State and maintained that it was the reason for the tremendous infrastructural development in the state.
Hon. Nwifuru said the synergy between the executive and the legislature has provided the state enabling environment to excel above her contemporaries and had placed the state on a high pedestal of economic boom.
Adding that despite the hard bite of economic challenges, Ebonyi State has remained on the rise through robust and healthy management of resources by the State governor and discouraging profligacy in governance.
