Jigawa Assembly Slashes Budget To Raise N16.9bn For Flood Victims, Agriculture, Scholarship

The Jigawa State House of Assembly has approved the review of the State’s 2024 appropriation bill to raise N16, 980,000,000:00 for funding agricultural programme, foreign scholarship and provision of emergency reliefs to the victims of flood and other disasters.

The bill was passed following its consideration by the Committee on Appropriation and presentation of its report before the House.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon Ibrahim Hamza while presenting the bill, recommended the slashing of N1 billion out of N2.1 billion allocated for the Assembly projects and assets acquisition, and another N1.1 billion out of N2.1 billion allocated to the State Research Institute.

Similarly, the adjustment also affected ministries and departments like religious affairs, State HIV/ AIDS Control Agency (SACA), the Pilgrims Welfare Board, Office of The Resident Auditors, Internal Revenue Headquarters, Tourism Promotion and social registration, among others.

According to the committee’s report, out of the N16.9 billion budgeted, N8 billion was transferred for agricultural mechanisation and procurement of plants and implements to boost the sector.

“The sum of N500 million transferred to scholarship to read N3.1 billion, N1.7 billion for immunisation, NI.7billion to the newly created state Ministry of a Renewable Energy, N1.4billion increased to Emergency Response and N1.8 billion to the state Ministry of Finance for contingency, among others.”

Presided by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Haruna Aliyu Dan-gyatin, the House deliberated on the report and unanimously approved the recommendation for the adjustment in the 2024 appropriation bill.

However, the Assembly also passed the bill for the establishment of Water Users Association, bills for Jigawa State Public Health Security and a bill for the establishment of Tsangaya Education Board for repositioning and integrating Tsangaya Education into formal education system in the state.