Sonny Ekedayen, Delta State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Wednesday, said the citizens of the State should expect the completion of all ongoing road projects across the State even as new ones would be embarked upon next year.
He said, “This is rainy season and as soon as we enter dry season, we would begin to mobilise contractors.
Apart from road projects, there are a lot of things to expect in the 2025 budget including serious reforms in the electricity sub-sector of the economy; priority attention on both food security and security of lives and property of the citizens”.
Addressing newsmen in Asaba, Delta State capital, at the end the Stakeholders Meeting with Delta Citizens on 2025 Budget, Ekedayen said, “We are already in the process of domesticating the Federal Government Electricity Bill.
“The House of Assembly has held a Public Hearing on the Bill and hopefully before the end of this year, the Bill will be passed into law after which we will be engaging with private investors to help us boost the electricity sub-sector.”
According to him, Delta State has been considered in the second batch of the Special Agro Processing Zone under the Office of the Vice President. Delta would be coming in the second phase. We are expecting the approval to come before the end of this year. We will be driving it with Kwale and Koko Export Zones to ensure food security.
“A lot of our Health institutions are going to be prioritised, he said.
He added that the state’s expansive school system would also be accommodated in the budget, assuring that the budget would be all-inclusive, reflecting the wishes and aspirations of the people of the state and be sent to the State governor.
On the milestones recorded in the 2024 budget, Ekedayen had told the citizens that the State had made significant progress in the fiscal space.
“We have a budget of N724.9bn for the year 2024 and as at half year, the revenue performance stood at N523.6bn representing 144.4 % performance, while on recurrent expenditure, we are at N121.8bn out of N316.7bn representing 76.92% performance. For capital expenditure, government has spent N135.3 bn out of N408.3bn earmarked. This represents a 66.37% performance”, he added.
