Education, infrastructure, others take lion share as Ganduje presents N196bn appropriation bill for 2022

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has presented N196, 353,468,505.10 proposed budget for 2022 before the state House of Assembly for legislative approval.

The proposed appropriation for next fiscal year is slightly lower to approved budget of 2021 which currently run at over N197,936,730,540 with actually implementation ranges between 71 per cent (Recurrent) and 48 per cent (Capital) as at September 2021.

Tagged budget of prosperity and consolidation, Governor Ganduje told the assembly the proposed appropriation dedicated N107,879,853,788.07 equivalent to 55 per cent to capital expenditure while N88,473,614,717.03 which stood at 45 per cent will found the recurrent expenditure.

Subsequently, education, works and infrastructure; general and administrative; environment and sanitation; health; water; security, law and justice; transport; agriculture; rural and community development; information; land as well as commerce accordingly take priority in the estimated allocations.

“Education N51.6bn (26 per cent), Works and Infrastructure N33.8bn; General and Administrative N27.1bn; Environment and Sanitation N20bn ; Health N15bn; Water N13bn; Security, Law and Justice N11bn; Transport N11.3bn; Agriculture N5.7bn ; Rural and Community Development N5.3bn; Information N2.3bn; Land N1.4bn, while Commerce takes N1bn.”

According to Ganduje, the proposed budget was intended to enable his administration consolidate government policies and implement existing projects. He explained that expectation is equally focused on stimulating economic growth and expansion as well as improving well being of the citizenry.

Speaker of Kano State House of Assembly, Hamisu Ibrahim Chedari, lauded the early presentation of the fiscal document, just as he pledged speedy legislative evaluation.

Although, the speaker assured the executive that the document would be passed before the end of year 2021, to enable the fiscal implementation beginning of 2022, he stressed that due process, including public hearing and appropriate defense of the proposal will be followed.

The speaker, however, urged the state revenue generating agency to maximise the revenue potential of the state to reduce burden on government debt profile.

Meanwhile, the proposed loan encapsulated in the 2022 appropriated bill may further hike the soaring debt profile of the state. Over N22bn is slated to be borrowed out of over N49bn estimated under capital revenue in the 2022 fiscal appropriation.

Domestic debt profile of Kano State as at March, 2021 stood at over N119bn, a document published by Debt Management Office (DMO) stated. The huge liability stands aside the external loans and facility equally incurred by the state government.