Badaru Presents N134.17bn Jigawa Budget For 2018

The Governor of Jigawa State Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar has presented a budget proposal of N134. 17 billion to the state House of Assembly for the 2018 fiscal year..

Speaking while making a presentation of the 2018 appropriation bill tagged: ‘The Budget of Sustained Economic Growth and Social Transformation', Governor Badaru said it is aimed to be a continuation of the previous budget in order to achieve synergy and realism in the State's short to medium plans and objectives.
Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar has presented the 2018 Appropriation Bill to the state house of Assembly.

Presenting the budget Governor Badaru Abubakar said the budget is amounting to N134.17 billion which is about 3.3% above the 2017 budget.

He explained that Recurrent Expenditures consisting of Personnel Costs, Overheads, Consolidated Revenue Fund Charges and Other recurrent expenses relating to service delivery, are earmarked the sum of N65.535 billion equivalent to about 48.8% of the total income. Whereas 66% of the proposed recurrent expenditure goes to personnel emoluments, the balance of 34% would go to the other non-personnel recurrent expenses.

Governor Badaru Abubakar pointed out that it is worthy of note that while total recurrent expenditure has grown by almost 10% relative to the approved estimates in 2017, the overhead cost elements have actually declined by about 2%. In other words, increase in recurrent expenditure was mainly accounted by personnel cost due to the recruitments in 2017 and new ones expected to be done in 2018;

While Capital Expenditure is earmarked N67.035 billion accounting for about 50% of the total expected income which is about 0.7% below the 2017 initial approved estimates.

Other areas or sectors the budget will look at are:

Agriculture and Livestock Development – In line with avowed commitment to diversify the State’s economy and achieve food self-sufficiency over N9.3 billion is proposed to be expended on various agricultural projects and programmes during the 2018 fiscal year.

Also Roads and Transport Development – About N17.2 billion naira is allocated to Roads & Transport development which is more than one-quarter of the total capital expenditure. This amount is meant for the completion of some of the ongoing projects both the inherited ones and
N480 million was earmarked for Economic Empowerment.

Governor Badaru said in continuation with the Education Change Agenda interventions as it affects basic and senior secondary education, as well as continued funding for tertiary schools, Education Sector was earmarked about N17.7 billion for capital investments in the sector as a whole representing about 26.4% of the total capital budget. Largely, the allocation is meant for the funding of: ongoing school “decongestion” programme, establishment of Centres of Excellence and four new Mega Schools; Mass procurement of school furniture, instructional and laboratory materials, core text books, school uniform, etc; Infrastructural development in our tertiary schools including funding through the tertiary education trust fund.

The provision also includes additional facilities and development of infrastructure to ensure new courses are fully accredited

On the Health Sector N6.7 billion is earmarked for capital investments, equivalent to almost 10% of the total capital budget in order to sustain the momentum of progressing towards continuous improvement in our health indices. Major investment areas in the health sector include:- Continuation of the Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Programme for Pregnant Women and Children under the age of five which N900 million was earmarked for, Upgrading of Primary Health Centres involving the provision of thirty equipped Basic Health Clinics and furnished Midwives Quarters which N762 million was allocated to, Support for Supplementary Immunization Activities and other Primary Healthcare Programme activities, allocated N560 million, Specialist Hospitals Birnin Kudu, Hadejia and Kazaure which N600 million was earmarked for the projects, Improvement of General Hospitals including Phase II of general renovations with additional structures, hospital equipments, solar-power installations in 12 General hospitals; and upgrading of Garki, Gantsa and Guri Hospitals at the cost of N1.1 billion, Health Sector Interventions in Food and Nutrition Programme Activities including counter funding for the procurement of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), IYCF Campaign and procurement of essential vitamins for children for the prevention of micronutrients deficiency disorders which N215 million was allocated to, Health Training Institutions comprising of College of Nursing & Midwifery, Birnin Kudu, School Nursing Hadejia, Commencement of New School of Midwifery, Babura and School of Health Technology Jahun, the sum N600 million and lastly HIV-AIDS, Malaria & Other Diseases Control Programmes which N160 million was earmarked.

Governor Badaru said for Women, Social Welfare &Social Protection Programmes – about N2.24 billion was earmarked. The bulk of this amounting to N2.1 billion is for design and implementation of a new ward-level Social Protection Cash Transfer and Empowerment Initiative including social welfare palliative support to the core poor and other vulnerable groups. The balance of about N140 million is for other women empowerment and social welfare activities.

For the provision of the portable drinking and healthy ebvironment, Governor Badaru said for the Water Supply and Sanitation N5.63 billion was proposed for capital projects in the sector. Which will be distributed as follows:
▪ Rural Water Supply and Sanitation - N2.76 billion
▪ Small Towns Water Supply - - N1.33 billion
▪ Urban & Regional Water Schemes - N1.54 billion

For Land Administration, Housing & Urban Development, the sum of N2.16 billion was proposed which would be for the continuation of the Systematic Land Titling & Registration in Dutse, Birnin Kudu, Ringim, Hadejia and Kazaure as well as commencement in new locations to include agricultural lands so as to further enhance the economic value of farm holdings under the cluster farming arrangements; Payment of Land &Property Compensations; and Provision of street lights in Urban Centres.

Other provisions in the proposed budget include:
i. Commerce & Investment Promotion - N515.5 million;
ii. Environmental Protection and Development - N489.3 million;
iii. Housing Development - N105.15 million;
iv. Rural Electrification Projects - N4445.0 million
v. Information, Youths and Sport - N444.0 million;
vi. Justice Administration - N226.0 million;
vii. Community Development Support - N512 million;
viii. General Administration &Institutional Development - N2.93 billion

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