Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has presented the proposed N114, 424, 664, 318 billion 2023 appropriation Bill to the state House of Assembly for approval.
Oyebanji said infrastructure would receive much attention in the year in the budget he christened, “Budget of Strong Beginning.”
Presenting the budget at a plenary of the House of Assembly, the governor who posited that the budget was developed in line with the six strategic pillars upon which he based his campaign promise said his administration was making life meaningful to the people.
The sum of N80, 362,578,854 billion which presents 70 per cent of the budget was earmarked for the recurrent expenditure, while N34,062,085,464 billion which takes 30 per cent of the total proposed budget size goes to the capital expenditure.
Oyebanji added that the proposed budget would also focus more on how to shore up the Internally Generated Revenue, (IGR) of the state to reduce dependence on the dwindling Federal Allocation.
He further said government would invest more in the provision of infrastructure like water, roads, electricity and housing among others with a proposed budget of over N15.7 billion(46.2 per cent)
The governor said such was aimed at making the state economically viable by creating the enabling environment for investors to prefer the state.
To reduce the cost of governance, he said his Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) wouldno longer sponsor seminars, workshops that add no direct value to the people under his administration.
Earlier, the deputy speaker, Ekiti House of Assembly, who presided over the plenary, Hakeem Jamiu, assured the governor of the continued support of the legislature to deepening democracy in the state.
