Taraba Governor proposes N68.8bn 2016 Budget

Taraba state governor, Darius Ishaku Wednesday presented N68,810,133,885.00 as budget estimate for the 2016 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly.

The breakdown of the budget showed that the recurrent expenditure took N42.7 billion representing 62.10 percent while capital expenditure got N26.08 billion representing 37.90 percent.

The sectoral breakdown of the budget indicated that Housing got the highest share of the budget proposal with N4.8 billion. Education and reform of government and governance got over N3 billion each while Roads Construction and Health came third on the priority list with over N2 billion each.

Tagged “budget of Rescue” governor Ishaku said the 2016 budget was prepared bearing in mind the economic realities of the time and with certain financial projections the state was expecting in the 2016 fiscal year.

Ishaku informed the house that he had directed that by end of February, 2016, a strategic framework for the implementation of the Rescue Agenda manifesto be developed to serve as the basis for the annual budget of the state from 2015 to 2019.

He noted that areas affected by civil unrest in the past years will be given due consideration even as he informed that the strategic framework will be linked with the state cash flow to keep focus on the implementation of the Rescue Agenda.

The governor urged the people of the state to give his team the required peace so that he can bring development to the state. “I want to once again call on all Tarabans to give us peace and I will provide development,” he said.

Deputy speaker of the House, Mohammed Gwampo who presided over the sitting congratulated the governor for presenting the 2016 appropriation bill and assured him that the House would give the bill speedy passage to enable the state move on.

House Committee Chairman on information, Mr. Saleh Sa’ad representing Jalingo I state constituency while briefing journalists on the budget said the budget was realistic, giving the current economic situation facing the country and assured that members would scrutinise and pass the budget within time for the development of the state.