Plateau State plans N172bn budget for fiscal 2020
Hope Ikwe, Jos.
The Plateau State Government has presented a budget estimate of N172.60 billion for 2020 fiscal year.
The budget estimate which sees an increase of N19. 06 billion, representing 12.41 percent increase compared to that of 2019 consists N74, 45 billion as capital expenditure or 43.11 percent of the total budget size and N98.15 billion, representing 56.89 percent of the budget.
Governor Simon Lalong who presented the budget estimate disclosed that ” despite government’s effort at articulating prudent estimate projections, this year’s budget remains in deficit financing in the sum of Thirty Two Billion, Nine Hundred and Three Million, Two Hundred and Forty Nine Thousand Naira (N32, 903, 249, 000.00). This represents 19% of the budget size. Funds will be sourced locally and internationally to close this deficit gap as the need arises”.
Personnel cost is allocated N37 billion; Ministry of Water Resources is allocated N15.57 billion, representing 20.92 percent of the budget and Works and Transport is allocated N14 billion representing 14.83 percent, recording the highest allocations of the estimate budget while the Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Tourism recorded the lowest allocations of N165 million, representing 0.22 percent and N561.9 million, representing 0.75 percent of the budget estimate respectively.
According to governor Lalong, the funds allocated to personnel cost will be channelled to recruitment exercise and the review of the national minimum wage.
The allocation to Water resources will be used for “metering of water consumers, implementation of Open Defecation-Free Programme, Partnership Expanded Water Sanitation Hygiene Programme (PEWASH) and Rural electrification of identified Agric Hubs, Mining and Tourist sites while the allocation to Works will be for “completion of 28 road projects inherited from previous regime in addition to the 25 roads and bridges awarded by my administration and flagging off the operation zero potholes within Jos and Bukuru Metropolis immediately.”