Delta govt proposes N469.4bn for 2022 budget

Delta Government has approved the sum of N469.4 billion as appropriation for 2022 fiscal year.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu and his counterpart in Economic Planning, Dr Barry Pere-Gbe, disclosed this at a news conference on Thursday in Asaba.

The briefing was on some of the decisions reached at the State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting held on Thursday.

Pere-Gbe said the approval was in line with the state fiscal responsibility law.

He said the council came to N469.4 billion after a thorough review of the initial N425 billion indicative budget size earlier proposed by his ministry.

Pere-Gbe said that his ministry had earlier proposed N425 billion in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF and FSP).

He noted that the EXCO had fairer view of what the year 2022 should be hence the approval of N469.4 billion.

“After a review of the indicative budget size, we were able to have a fairer view of what the budget size should look like.”

“It was to a large extent, more than what we proposed in the MTEF and FSP,” he said.

He said government had resolved to grow its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the projected N75 billion to N80 billion in order to fund N469.4 billion 2022 budget.

“We also increased our assumptions around the capital receipts and borrowings to sufficiently fund our expenditure side” he said.

According to Pere-Gbe, the 2022 budget will be used to fund facilities in the new universities, facility procurement in the Ministry of Health, procurement and funding contract around technical education ministry.

“We will be doing a whole lot around education generally (higher and basic) and also roads.”

“We intend to complete the bridges that are yet to be completed especially the Ayokoromo bridge that his Excellency is so particular about”.

He said that government would sustain its jobs creation programmes and continue to create entrepreneurs in 2022.

“We are expanding the net around the girl-child programme and every other empowerment programmes,” he said.

On his part, Aniagwu said the EXCO concluded consideration of the white paper of the findings of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry which was set up last year to examine allegation of police brutality and extra-judicial killings known as #EndSARS.

“Today, we concluded the consideration of that particular report except for some few items that we have to carry out some investigations with a view to arriving at the right decision.”

“As a result of our determination to finish strong, we deliberated on the need to take full advantage of the dry season that is about to set in to deepen infrastructural development of the state,” Aniagwu said.

According to him, the approved N469.4 billion appropriation will be transmitted to the state House of Assembly before October ending.