Gov. Suswam Presents N98.5billion Budget To Benue House Of Assembly

Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam yesterday presented N98.5billion budget to the state House of Assembly. Performing the presentation ceremony yesterday at the Assembly Complex in Makurdi, he said the budget would focus on payment of pensions and gratuity as well as ensure the completion of ongoing projects and a gradual transition from the present administration to the incoming administration. The governor disclosed that N52.8billion was earmarked for recurrent expenditure while N45.7billion was set down for capital expenditure in the coming year. The projected aggregate expenditure of the state government in 2015 stands at 11.6 percent lower than last year’s approved aggregate expenditure of N52.8billion. He said, “Through this budget, we are responding to series of challenges, which include accelerating inclusive growth and development in the face of challenges in both the domestic and external environment; investing in key infrastructure, such as road, water, education and health as the foundational base for sustainable growth and development; and renewing our commitment to progressively deliver on our constitutional mandate of securing the lives and property of our people in both the urban and rural areas.” Suswam said the budget was based on assumptions including the performance of the 2015 fiscal year recurrent expenditure cost without fresh employments in the civil and public services of the state.
The governor added that agricultural development would also receive adequate attention in order to improve on employment and income generation. He also stated that salaries and wages of employees of government would remain constant in 2015 as well as the cost of running government –