Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Wednesday presented a budget proposal of N85.1 billion for the 2016 fiscal year before the Enugu State House of Assembly.
Ugwuanyi said that the fulcrum of the budget was employment generation, enhanced social services and good governance, rural development and indeed, security and justice.
He tagged it ‘Budget of Stability and Consolidation.
The governor, while presenting the budgeted, recounted the achievements of his administration in the past six months in the area of road reconstructions to include, Abakpa-Nike Road and Nike Lake Road in Enugu East Local Government Area, dualisation of Opi – Nsukka Road in Nsukka Local Government Area, Amankwo – Amaeke – Amah Brewery Junction By-Pass Road in Udi Local Government Area, 9th Mile By-Pass Road, OhomOrba Junction – ImilikeAni – EzimoUnu – EzimoAgu – ImilikeAgu – Ogbodu Aba – ObolloEtiti – Amalla – ObolloAfor Road (Udenu Ring Road) in Udenu Local government Area, among others.
According to him, “The main thrust of the 2016 budget is in line with my pledge in my inaugural speech on May 29, this year where I recommitted myself to employment generation, enhanced social services and good governance, rural development and indeed, security and justice.
“We will deploy government services to create fair and equal opportunity for every willing citizen to make a living and create wealth, educate our children, and enjoy life in a peaceful and secure environment.
We will drive with full force, the investment promotion, agricultural sector renewal, provision of critical infrastructure, human capital development and skill acquisition.
“Considering the present macro-economic climate and other prevailing variables, I hereby present to you our year 2016 budget of N85.179 billion.
“This is lower than the 2015 budget of N96.735 billion by N11.555 billion, a decrease of 12 per cent. The decrease was necessitated by the realities of the times with respect to revenue inflow from federal allocation.”