18th May, 2017
The Plateau Government will give priority to the completion of ongoing projects in its 2017 budget of N139.49 billion, Mrs Tamwakat Weli, the Commissioner for Finance, has said.
Weli said this on Thursday in Jos while presenting a breakdown of the budget tagged “Budget of Rescue and Confidence Building”.
She said that the budget would also be used to commence new crucial projects.
Weli said that because of the premium placed on the completion of projects initiated by the last administration, the sum of N70.13 billion representing 50.28 per cent of the total budget, had been allotted to capital expenditure.
The breakdown indicated that N69.4 billion, representing 49.72 per cent of the budget, was for recurrent expenditure.
According to the commissioner, 24.47 per cent of the capital expenditure totalling N18.56 billion was allocated to Works and Transport sector.
She said that the completion of reconstruction and resurfacing of Mararaba Jamaa-British America Junction would cost N1.2 billion.
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She said that the sum of N11.88 billion representing 16.9 per cent of the capital expenditure was earmarked for the completion of the ongoing renovation and construction of secondary schools and the provision of infrastructure in tertiary institutions.
“One of the key projects is the renovation/building of 15 secondary schools, five per senatorial zone at the cost N1 billion.”
Furthermore, she said that the agriculture sector was allocated N6.107 billion, representing 8.71 per cent of the capital expenditure just as N2 billion was set aside for fertilizer procurement in the fiscal year.
The commissioner said that Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) would be used majorly to fund the budget and urged officials to brace up to boost collection.
“Henceforth, government will deal decisively with any citizen both in the public and private sectors who tries try to frustrate its efforts towards revenue generation,” she said.