Buni signs N106.8b budget into law

Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State has signed the state’s N106.8 billion budget into law.

Tagged ‘Budget of Recovery, Consolidation and Economic Rejuvenation’, the document allocated N54.46 billion to the economic sector.

While assenting to the reviewed budget at the weekend in Damaturu, the state capital, the governor said the government would leverage on the agriculture sector for Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

According to him, the state has comparative advantage in the production of rice, beans, sorghum, sesame seeds, gum arabic and livestock.

“There are a lot of job opportunities in the agriculture sector that can fight poverty and unemployment among youths.

“I also appreciate the legislators for the accelerated passage of this budget that was presented on November 12, 2020,” he said, noting that the budget was, however, slashed by N100 million.

He attributed the downward review to the present economic reality and expected revenues in the 2021 fiscal year.

Buni, therefore, assured the House of Assembly of improved working relationship between the executive and legislature for effective service delivery to the people.

Speaker of the House, Alhaji Ahmed Mirwa, commended the governor for prioritising the completion of various projects in the budget, rather than embarking on new ones.

He charged the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to adhere strictly to budgetary provisions to ensure fiscal discipline “to ensure transparency, prudence and accountability to the people that voted us into office.”