Kano shifts priority to social development in budget 2020

By Jacob Ajakaiye, in Kano  

• Votes 40.5% of 2020 budget size of  N198bn to education, health

The administration of Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje in Kano State, northern Nigeria biggest economy, has revealed in the state`s financial proposal of about N198 billion presented to the State House of Assembly for consideration, a major shift in the development priority of the state.

The 2020 budget proposal, which was delivered to the State House of Assembly last Thursday, indicates that the state is now moving away from massive investment in urban infrastructure development, done with the aim of turning Kano into a ‘Mega City’, to focusing on Human Capital Development.

Kano State has, since the first tenure of the Ganduje administration, made urban infrastructural development the main objective of the regime, which is a follow–up to spending pattern inherited from the Kwankwaso administration.

In his address, while delivering the annual budget, Governor Ganduje disclosed that his government plans spending a total of N197, 683,353,659 in the coming 2020 financial year, which is lower than a total budget size of N219 billion expended in the out-going year.

In the proposal, which was tagged “Budget of Sustainable Social Development”, 60 per cent of the budget, amounting to N117,710,626,881 was voted for capital projects, translating into a decrease of 12 percent, when compared to what was set aside for capital projects in 2019 budget..

The remaining 40 percent, amounting to N79, 972,726,778 of the budget was allocated for recurrent expenditures, and this also translated into a 15 percent decrease, as against the amount expended for the same purpose in the out –going year.

In line with his administration new development priority, education sector received the lion share of the budget with N49.9 billion, which represented 25.23 percent of the total budget.

The governor stated that a sizable portion of N2.4 billion of the total vote for the education sector will be used yearly, to fund the newly introduced free and compulsory education which the state is now implementing.

In the same vein, as a way of boosting health of citizens of the state, a total of N30.7 billion, which represents about 15.5 percent of the budget is devoted to the various programmes, and policies to be executed by the state government.

Also, in order to complete some of the on-going urban modernization projects, as well as start new ones, the administration intends spending the sum of N33.8 billion, representing about 16 percent of the budget for works and housing sector.     

Governor Ganduje used the occasion of the budget presentation to disclose some of the new ministries established by his government, which have already taken off.

The new ministries include, that of Religious Affairs, which got a budget allocation of N646 million, and Ministry of Tourism and Culture, which had the sum of N382 million voted for it development activities in the coming year.

The 2020 budget is less than the 2019 budget of N219 billion which had N134 billion for capital projects and N88 billion for recurrent expenditure.

Governor Ganduje used the opportunity to congratulate the members of the assembly as they become the 9th assembly in the state. He also called for unity and synergy to achieve success of the administration.

Receiving the budget, the Speaker of the Assembly, Abdulazeez Garba Gafasa congratulated the Ganduje for his victory at the Election Petition Tribunal and promised to support the administration.