Bayelsa State Government has proposed a budget of N385.2 billion tagged: Budget of Sustainable Growth and Reconstruction for the 2023 fiscal year.
Governor Douye Diri who presented the 2023 Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly on Monday said it is to, among other things, aid the continuous building of infrastructure and reconstruction of infrastructure that were seriously affected by the floods.
Diri revealed that his administration would set up a special Directorate for Flood and Erosion Control and Management to provide technical support on flooding and erosion matters.
He said meanwhile the state government would continue to engage the Federal Government on intervention for the present flooding in the state.
The governor said his administration would make the civil service more professional and transform the agricultural sector to contribute to the local economy and also create employment through various empowerment programmes.
The budget would be funded by receipts from the Federation Accounts (40%), 13 percent derivation (39%), internally generated revenue (5.0%), grants (4.0%) and loans (12%), which are N153.511 billion, N148 billion, N20 billion, N16.7 billion and and N47 billion respectively.
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The expenditure profile includes personnel cost, N63.380 billion, overhead cost, N95.458 billion, capital expenditure, N167.545 billion, pension and gratuities, N14.711 billion, public debt servicing, N33.7 billion and contributory pension, local governments, rural development authorities and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), N4.7 billion.
Ministry of Works and Infrastructure received the highest allocation of N77.924 billion, followed by Education, N40.458 billion, Agriculture and Natural Resources, N14.199 billion, Environment, N13.842 billion and Health, N12.526 billion.
Others are Lands and Housing, N7.278 billion, Information, Orientation and Strategy, N6.319 billion, Transport, N5.322 billion, Local Government and Community Development, N5.793 billion, Youth and Sports, N4.610 billion, Trade, Industry and Investment, N2.844 billion and Power, N2.5 billion.
Diri said work is ongoing at the 22.2-kilometre Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie road, the 42-kilometre stretch of the Sagbama-Ekeremor road, the 21-kilometre Igbogene-AIT/Elebele Outer Ring road as well as the 21-kilometre first phase of the Nembe-Brass road.
In his response, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, assured that the assembly will give the appropriation bill speedy consideration in order to complete it before the end of the year.
Ingobere informed Diri of revenue leakages in the state internally generated revenue and advised the financial team to block the loopholes in the revenue generating agencies.
