Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has signed the 2020 appropriation bill of N456.2 billion into law.
The Commissioner of Finance, Linus Nkan presented the budget as enacted by the assembly and noted the amendments to the proposal sent from the executive.
He said the new cumulative value of the budget is now N456.2 billion.
According to a release signed by Ini Ememobong, commissioner for information and strategy, the governor gave his assent to the bill during the enlarged executive and security council meeting held at the government house, Uyo.
The commencement date for the appropriation law is January 1, 2020.
The signing was witnessed by the Speaker and other principal officers of the state house of assembly.
In his opening remarks, the governor noted the reports of insecurity in the state and announced the donation of 30 new utility vehicles to be distributed to the different services for use in combating crime.
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He said the vehicles were the first batch of the 100 vehicles targeted to be delivered to the security agencies for mobility while also announcing the formation of a joint task force to combat crime.
The Commissioner of Police, Andrew Amiengheme speaking on behalf of the service commanders assured the citizens of maximum protection during the Yuletide and beyond.
He urged citizens to call the police emergency numbers or the info hotline when there is an incident, instead of resorting to social media.
There have been reports of rising cases of burglary and car snatching in the state with business operators being on edge over the security situation.
