Cross River budgets N1.043tr for 2019

Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has presented the 2019 budget of N1,043, 967,000,000 tagged ‘Quabalistic Densification’ to the House of Assembly.

The budget is the highest in the country so far. Last year, the state set a budget record with N1.3 trillion, even edging out Lagos that budgeted N1.046 trillion same year.

However, the appropriation was greeted with criticism from different quarters.

The governor, who spoke extempore for about 21 minutes, ignoring the budget speech, described the budget as “magical and spiritual in nature that could only be achieved by strategic long term plan”.

He disclosed that the budget would address issues of industrialisation across all the councils in the state with connection to the superhighway and deep sea port.

“This year’s budget is tagged quabalistic densification; it is a magical budget of concentrating all of our ideas and ideals into a cumulative action point that will deliver with escape velocity.

“This budget is ambitious, but driven by intellectual strength. It is N1,043,967,000,000.

“Last year’s budget of N1.3 trillion had over 74 per cent performance,” the don said.