Abia government to embark on seaport, airport

Abia State Governor Theodore Orji of the eastern Nigerian state of Abia,has disclosed plans to   build an airport t and a seaport in the state  through the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) initiative.

The giovernor, while answering  questions from newsmen after presenting the state's 2014 Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly in Umuahia said that the government planned to source the funds from PPP.

The lawmakers had know how the government intended to fund the projects  as they were not captured in the budget estimates.

Orji said that the process of funding the projects would be articulated in the memorandum of understanding to be signed between the government and the investors.

'My intention is just to start the projects. I will not tell you that I must complete them because they are capital intensive but the two projects are vital to the economy of the state and I know that the incoming government will not abandon them.

'The important thing is for me to commence them because they are important to the state.''

The governor had earlier presented  N149.6 billion appropriation bill to the state legislature. Abia State government has proposed a budget estimate of N149.6 billion for its services in the 2014 fiscal year.

The sum of  N87.5 billion was budgeted for capital votes, while recurrent expenditure was allocated N62 billion.

The government projected annual recurrent revenue of N120 billion and N21.5 billion from donor agencies.

Orji said the budget, tagged; 'Budget of Legacy Consolidation,' would focus on the acceleration of building human and physical infrastructure for job creation and the eradication of poverty in the state.

'We expect to achieve this through scaling up of our expenditures in education, healthcare, agriculture, water resources, environment, housing and support for women and youth empowerment programmes,' the governor said.

'The 2014 budget is also a bold statement to transform our state in areas we consider more critical and urgent, which include peace and security, infrastructural development, improved healthcare delivery, enhanced internally generated revenue and education,' he said.