Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has presented a N296.4bn budget for year 2024 to the state House of Assembly for consideration and approval.
Capital expenditure got 61 percent while recurrent expenditure got 39 percent of the budget estimate.
The budget is 15.5% higher than that of the outgoing year, and has an opening balance of N25bn.
The governor in his budget speech said the fiscal document is christened Budget of Economic Expansion and Collective Prosperity.
“This fiscal plan will prioritise the completion and unveiling of several of our legacy projects, and introduction of a few other ones that centre around the welfare of the people. I am glad to inform this Honourable House that the Ilorin Capital City Master Plan will officially produce what we call Ilorin Smart City Satellite Town, which will cover an area estimated at 18,000 hectares. This city is modelled after sustainable, green cities around the world, such as Washington DC. The groundbreaking of this huge project will be done next year, God willing.
“Some other highlights include the establishment of the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital; Kwara State University of Education; completion of the first phase of the industrial park at Eiyenkorin; MSMEs Support Funds; rehabilitation of Ilesha Baruba Waterworks and others elsewhere in the state; construction of statewide rural access roads through RAAMP; rehabilitation of Isanlu Isin Waterworks and extension of pipes; rehabilitation of Pampo waterworks and extension of pipes, among others; construction of new wards and expansion of maternity unit at civil service clinic; expansion of 13 hospitals across the state; construction of 250 housing units under the proposed mass housing scheme of the State Government; construction of CBT Centres across the 3 districts; wholesale curriculum revitalisation and training under KwaraLearn; payment of UBEC counterpart funds for 2022 and 2023; and some sports facilities statewide,” he said.
In his remarks, the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Engr Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, said the governor did so well in his first term to deserve the popular mandate he got to govern the state for another four years.
He said the legislature would peruse the budget and act in accordance with the public good.
