Dankwambo presents N107.4bn budget to Gombe assembly

Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State on Friday presented a budget of N107.4 billion for the 2014 Appropriation Act to the state House of Assembly.

Tagged 'Budget of Restoration', the governor said it was made up of a recurrent expenditure of N43.5 billion and N63.8 billion capital expenses.

According to him, the budget is based on an estimated recurrent revenue of N50.8 billion and capital receipts of N55.8 billion, with an anticipated budget deficit of N678 million.

Based on the budget breakdown, the recurrent revenue comprises N6.3 billion as internally generated revenue; N35 billion from statutory allocation and N2.5 billion share of excess crude oil.

The governor said the state expected a receipt of N1 billion each from its share of exchange rate gains and Nigeria National Petroleum Company, while N5 billion was expected from budget augmentation and other sources in the fiscal year.

On recurrent expenditure of N43.5 billion, Dankwambo said N14.6 billion was allocated for personnel cost, N16.3 billion on overhead and N12.5 billion for consolidated revenue fund charges.

On the capital receipts of N55.8 billion, he said with an opening balance of N8 billion, government was expecting N7 billion from Value Added Tax and N2.5 billion as Federal Government's reimbursement on projects executed by the state.

He said N2.5 billion would also come from the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme as the state's share.

Other capital receipts, he said, included an expected N3 billion local government contribution to joint projects, N7.3 billion as transfer to consolidated revenue fund charges and N4 billion as internal loans.

Other sources are N500 million from partnership contribution to Agricultural Development Fund and N250 million partnership contribution to Trade Investment Fund.

About N300 million is also expected as partnership contribution to Gombe State Geographic Information System (GOGIS).

Also being expected is the N500 million from Bank of Industry (BOI) partnership for entrepreneurship development fund.

The governor said that during the fiscal year, external loans of N150 million was being expected for HIV and AIDS programme development projects.

Also expected are the N100 million from the World Bank Fadama III project and N1 billion for the Gombe State Community and Social Development Project.

The governor also said the African Development Bank would provide N50 million loan to the state.

He said the Islamic Development Bank would also provide N40 million loan for food security project in the state, among others.

On grants from development partners, he said N2.7 billion was expected on projects in education, Emergency Relief Fund, Millennium Development Goals Conditional Grants, among others.

On the N63.8 billion capital expenditure, the economic sector was allocated N43 billion, representing 67 per cent of the budget while the social sector got N16.6 billion (26 per cent).

The Regional Development Sector got N43 million, representing 0.07 per cent of the budget while General Administration took N3.5 billion, representing 6 per cent of the budget.

The governor said the budget would focus on completion of ongoing projects and initiation of new ones that had direct benefit to the people of the state.

Dankwambo said 'we have tagged it 'budget of restoration' because we are determined to further restore the confidence of the people of Gombe State in good governance.

He said his administration would also restore the lost glory of the state in the national and sub-national development arena and chart a cogent course of development'.

The governor expressed gratitude to stakeholders in the state and development partners for their cooperation and support which enabled the government to execute 'people-oriented projects' in 2013.

The Speaker of the House, Alhaji Inuwa Garba, assured the governor that the legislature would scrutinise the budget, to ensure that people-oriented projects were provided.

The ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Gov. Tha'anda Rubainu, commissioners, traditional rulers and some top government and private sector personalities in the state. NAN