Ebonyi State Government has budgeted N145,410,597.49 for the 2022 fiscal year.
The budget estimate was on Wednesday, presented to the state assembly by Governor David Umahi for approval.
The 2022 budget is tagged “Budget of Latter Rain”.
Umahi said the major revenue of financing the budget is expected to come from the Federal Allocation and revenues expected from other revenue heads.
Umahi noted that the 2022 estimate represents an increase of 46.65% over the revised budget of N99.157.171.65.
Adding: “The 46.65% increase of the 2022 budget over the 2021 revised Budget is due to the carryover of a large part of the Expected receipts in this fiscal year to the next fiscal year.
“These reasons for the increase and more are clearly listed in the body of the main budget under the EXPLANATORY NOTES.
“The following expected receipts will happen in our 2022 fiscal year of which some of them were expected receipts in our 2021 budget which could not happen and are now deferred to 2022 fiscal year:
On the summary of expenditure differential of 2022 budget and 2021 reverse budget the governor noted: “The 2022 budget estimate records 46.65% increase from the 2021 revised budget. The Capital Expenditure increased by 53.56% from the 2021 Capital Budget while the 2022 recurrent budget is 36.72% higher than the 2021 budget as shown in Table 4a.
“Tables 4b and 4c contain the details of the Personnel and Overhead Expenditure differential between the 2021 revised budget and 2022 proposed budget”
“We expect N4.315bn from TETFund for our tertiary institutions, UBEB growth of over N1.2bn, SFTAS of N16.727bn and Domestic Loan of N7bn”, Umahi told the Lawmakers.
He said the proposed capital expenditure of the budget is N89.763.717.205 representing 61.73percent while recurrent expenditure is proposed to be N55.646.880.517.69 or 38 27 percent of reg total budget.
“This proportion of 61 73peecent of capital to 38.27 percent recurrent is structured bearing in mind our determination to deepen our capital projects development especially the completion of ongoing projects”, he noted.
A breakdown of the budget shows that Education, Works and Infrastructural Development for Concession ministries got the highest chunk of the budget.
The Education ministry is to take N24,397,399, 015.78 covering 16.78 percent of the budget.
While the Ministry of Infrastructural Development for Concession is to get N17, 498,56,922.44 covering 12.03percent, the Ministry of Works and Transport is projected to get N24, 335, 057, 558.09 which is 16.74 percent of the budget.
The Ministry of Agriculture is to get N3,425,238,354.88 which is 2.38 percent of the 2022 budget sum.
Umahi, noted that the state government has profiled 200 youths and women from each local government area to access the N3bn #Endsars empowerment programme from January, 2022.
Stating: ” In 2022, we are going to pursue the stoppage of leakages and illegal revenue collections. We shall promote ease of doing business and automate our revenue collection processes to prevent multiple taxes. The state government is going to come up with more sophisticated strategies to generate more revenue for the benefit of the state.
He was optimistic that the ongoing dualization of the Abakaliki to Afikpo and Abakaliki to Enugu roads would achieve over 80 percent completion before the end of 2022.
Umahi, said that the state has complied with the issue of autonomy of the state House of Assembly and Judiciary.
“Every local government fund now goes straight to the local government accounts. The decide what they do with their money”, he said.
He assured that his administration will not owe any commercial loan as a state by the time he leaves office in 2023.
The Leader of the House, Victor Chukwu(Ezza North West) moved a motion for first reading of the budget which was seconded by Chukwuma Igwe(Onicha West).
The Speaker, Francis Nwifuru put the motion to voice vote and it was passed without any opposition.