By Stanley Nwanosike
Enugu – Enugu State Government has presented a budget proposal of N98.563 billion for 2018 fiscal year to the state’s House of Assembly.
Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who read the 2018 proposal to the Assembly on Thursday, christened it as “Budget of Sustainable Economic Growth.’’
He said the 2018 budget proposal was 6.77 per cent less than that of 2017 of N105 billion.
He noted that the 2018 estimate had a recurrent expenditure of 60.7 per cent and a capital expenditure of 34 per cent.
The governor revealed that works and infrastructure would gulp the highest amount of N10.5 billion.
Ugwuanyi noted that the state targeted an Internally Generated Revenue of N2.5 billion monthly as the budget would be implemented through receipts from Federal Allocation and Internally Generated Revenue.
He said “government would do more on infrastructure upgrade, improve on Visit Every Community (VEC) projects and Ease of Doing Business (EODB) in the state.
“A detailed breakdown of the budget proposal will be issued by the state’s Commissioner of Finance in subsequent days after it has been signed into law.
“I want to urge residents of the state to continue to support this administration and protect government projects, infrastructure and social amenities in their domains.”
The Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Edward Ubosi, lauded the government for increasing the monthly IGR turnover of the state, as well as “the prudent management of the state’s resources.”
Ubosi also applauded the cordial relationship between the Assembly and members of the executive in the state; while urging that it should be maintained to deliver democratic dividends to the people.
“We are assuring the governor that the Assembly will give due diligence to this 2018 budget proposal and ensure that it is passed as soon as possible,’’ he added. (NAN)
