Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state has signed the 2017 appropriation Bill of 217.9 bn passed last week by the State House of Assembly into law.
The prepared Bill was presented to the governor for his endorsement by the Speaker of the Assembly, Right Honourable Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, on Thursday, at the Executive Chamber of the Kano State Government House.
The brief event was witnessed by a large delegation of the Legislators Representing the State at the National Assembly, as well as principal leaders of the State House of Assembly.
In his address before the governor endorsed his signature to the document, the Speaker Rurum disclosed that the legislators during legislative action increase the initial proposal of over #209 bn presented by the governor by #8.9 bn to enable the government meet all its financial obligations for the year.
Rurum said that the House fast-track the passage of the Bill so as to ensure the government continues with the numerous people oriented developmental projects it started.
He commended the governor for promoting healthy relationship between the Executive arm of the government, and the legislators promising that the House will sustain the positive relationship.
The Speaker highlighted several Bills and Resolutions passed by the House in the past two years, and called on the governor to act promptly in signing those that have not been endorsed into law.
Responding, Governor Ganduje expressed gratitude to members of the House for the proactive manner they acted on the proposal he presented to them, and promised to implement the Bill accordingly.
“There is no doubt that history has been made today that the Kano State House of Assembly under the leadership of Right Honourable Kabiru Alhassan Rurum deserved to be highly commended for this one task that is inevitable to move the state government forward.
“When I was abroad on official mission the Honourable Speaker phone me to tell that the Budget has been passed by the State House of Assembly, so I started smiling right from there to Nigeria, and to Kano state.
“This Budget which I just signed is a budget of Self Reliance and Sustainable Development, we are all aware that revenue that we are getting from Abuja has gone down, so we have to look inward for self reliance through the Kano State Board of Internal Revenue Service. The board has started very well the indicators we are getting show us that the board is the board to beat in the country”
“From the improved receipts that we have being getting almost every month, so Honourable Speaker we talk you very much. This budget like I mentioned that the budget has been increased, and the increase is a judicious increase. There is zero padding.
“I say it is zero padding because the increase was done out of consultation with the appropriate authorities and members of other stakeholders, so it is an open process that members of the State Assembly followed, therefore we must be proud of this budget, and the increase.
“So the increase done by the State House of Assembly brought the budget now to over #217.9 billion from the original proposal of #209 billion, signed by myself today” he explained.
