…Says budget shows push for infrastructure development
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has signed into law the budget of Seven Hundred and Fifty Billion, Two Hundred and Eighty-Two Million, Two Hundred Thousand Naira (750,282, 200,000) only for the 2025 fiscal year.
Otti, while assenting to the 2025 appropriation bill passed by the Abia State House of Assembly, commended the lawmakers for giving the bill an accelerated hearing and passage. He said that the budget would give his administration the impetus to continue to deliver on its promises to Abians.
“This budget that was passed is a budget that will give us the impetus to continue to fire on all cylinders to ensure that our people are living a good life.
“I want to thank specially, the House members and the leadership of the House for doing such a thorough job in record time. I want to commend you for being thorough. That’s actually what our government is about.
“We pride ourselves as a serious-minded government. So, anything we present, we are ready for scrutiny, and I want to thank you for a great job you did in scrutinising the budget, disagreeing in a few areas, and also being flexible enough to accept when reasonable responses are given,” Otti said.
Read also: Otti says Abia airport will ready in 24 months
The governor, who said that the budget was a budget of sustained momentum, maintained that the government was deliberate in tagging the budget so, because it was the second budget the present administration was rolling out.
“When we say sustained momentum, we know that we have taken off and the challenge is to continue because the easiest thing to do is to accelerate and deaccelerate.”
“We can assure you that this government has its eyes on the ball and will continue to do those things we promised our people that will take this State out of poverty, that will take this State out as one of the dirtiest States like it was in 2023,” Otti further said.
He emphasised that the budget demonstrated his push for infrastructure development, having allocated 82% of the entire budget to capital expenditures.
“Our push for infrastructure development is demonstrated in this budget because when you have capital expenditure over 80 percent, it speaks to what you want to do with infrastructure, things that would out-last all of us,” he noted.
He reiterated that he dedicated about 82 percent of the total envelope to capital expenditure and a meagre 18 percent to recurrent expenditure despite the challenges of higher wages occasioned by the implementation of the new national minimum wage and regular payment of pensions.
Otti further said that some of the projects that kicked off in 2023 would be delivered in 2025 including Port Harcourt road in Aba, Umuahia – Uzuakoli -Abiriba-Ohafia road, the Ohafia-Arochukwu to the boundary in Ini, the Okobo-Abam road, the Omenuko bridge, Nunya road and all other roads that had been awarded or flagged off among other projects including hospitals and schools.
Emmanuel Emeruwa, the Speaker of Abia House of Assembly, while presenting the budget to the Governor earlier, described it as a very aggressive budget.
Emeruwa assured that the lawmakers would continue to work with the executive arm of the government to ensure that the state would continue to make progress.
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