THE Speaker of Yobe State House of Assembly, Adamu Dala Doga, has said that “zero budgeting and the abandonment” of people-orientated projects by the Executive would not be condoned during and after this year’s N88.9 billion budget consideration and passage into law.

Dogo, who spoke with newsmen Monday in Damaturu, the state capital, on the incessant abandonment of projects caused by zero-budgeting for various projects, including the 120-kilometre Nguru-Gashua-Bayamari Road, said zero-budgeting in the Yobe State Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) was caused by the ‘lukewarm attitude and irresponsibility’ of some commissioners to pursue the files that contained approved appropriations to the Governor’s Office.

His words: “We are elected to meet the electioneering campaign promises made to the people that elected us into office. When these people-oriented projects were approved for implementation by this Honourable Assembly, there are no follow-up by some commissioners for immediate release of funds to execute the projects.”
“Most of the abandoned projects in 2015 financial and appropriation period were featured with ‘no follow-up to the release of funds by some commissioners in the Executive arm of government. It is not our responsibilities to be going from one office to another to ensure that these funds are released to execute the projects in the budget proposals by the governor.”

Citing the N500 million earmarked for Damaturu International Airport, he said: “This is the fourth time the governor is proposing the building of an airport in this year’s budget, but each time it is brought to this floor, we consider and pass it for appropriation and execution. And up to the time I spoke with you, the airport was yet to take off.

These are some of the problems in execution of approved projects we had been facing since the state was created on August 27, 1991.”

He, however, noted that the 120-kilometre Nguru-Gashua-Bayamari road project was not abandoned as N1.2 billion was about to be released last year when the Federal Government assured the Assembly that the road contract would be awarded this year.

The former Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama in 2012 also said: “In this year’s budget (2012), the Federal Government has tried to spread development projects all over the country, and Yobe in particular, we have a long abandoned Federal Government road project, which started from Nguru to Gashua to Bayamari.

“This road was constructed in 1973 and the road is in a very bad shape. We thank God the road is going to be reconstructed, the tender had already been published and very soon, we are going to have a contractor who is going to construct that road.”

The focus of the Assembly, according Dogo, should be on roads and infrastructural facility reconstruction, job creation, resettlement of Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs), poverty and unemployment reduction among the teeming youths.