2021 Budget: Ebonyi Proposes N122b for fiscal year, As Education gets highest allocation
Brenda Chidinma Imo-Eze
The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi has presented a total budget estimated at 122, 852, 045, 222. 49 as the 2021 Appropriation Bill before the members of the State House of Assembly.
The appropriation bill, Christined “Budget of Stabilization and Consolidation in a Recession” is expected to be funded through the Federation Account estimated at about N52bn or 42.33% of the budget.
Giving breakdown of the budget the Governor stated “Mr. Speaker let me with humility announce that the “Budget is tagged Budget of Stabilization and Consolidation in a Recession” which stands at the sum of N122,852,045,222.49.
“Our major revenue is expected to come from Federation Account estimated at about N52bn or 42.33% of the budget. Other revenue heads like Internally Generated Revenue, sales of international market stores, land proceeds, sales of malls, other receipts etc will account for the balance of N57.994bn or 47.53% of total budget”.
Governor Umahi said that the state would be projecting to increase the Internally Generated Revenue from projected N10,569,074,353.56 in 2020 budget to N12,858,297,657.83 or 10.47% of our total expected revenue.
He mentioned that in 2020, the State projected an actual revenue receipts by Dec, 31st 2020 at N122,138,799,059.13 which is 92.53% performance.
“We are therefore staying on side of what is possible by our 2021 budget of N122,852,045,222.49 which is just 0.6% higher than our projected 2020 budget performance”.
On the recurrent expenditure, Governor Umahi noted that the State would be projected the sum of N49.141bn which is 40% of the total budget.
The State Governor pointed out that the amount is about N15.11bn above the projected recurrent expenditure by 2020 Dec. 31st adding that the major increase in the recurrent expenditure is from social sector especially health and education which account for over 34.7% of our total budget.
He stated that the capital expenditure stands at an estimate of N73.711bn which is 60% of the total budget and N5.95bn over the projected actual for 2020 by Dec. 31st. “This increase in the amount is due to our 2021 target of completing most of our on-going projects”.
On the major focus of the 2021 budget, Governor Umahi said that the Human Capital Development and Empowerment is expected at the sum of N3,259,779,838.94 or 2.65% of the total budget.
He noted that out of the amount, the state intend to deploy N3bn as ENDSARS empowerment programme for youths and women adding that the programme has commenced with collation of names and proposals of the intending beneficiaries choices of businesses.
“We intend to reach out to about 250 persons with best proposals per Local Government Area with N1m per person (per business). We encourage the Ministry to partner with Bank of Industry to increase the participants’ scope of businesses and capital involved”.
“With expected 80% success of this program. We believe that Ebonyi will be more focused on business than in politics. This programme is non-political”.
Governor Umahi stated that the Ministry of Health and Health Related Programmes has a budget proposal of N18,706,279,929.28 or 15.23% of the total budget for Health related matters.
He announced that in 2021, the state government intends to complete the Ebonyi State University EBSU Medical School and deploy the school. “We will also complete the 14 General Hospitals”.
“The issue of Covid-19 programme will be pursued vigorously especially with the ugly trend of likely second wave showing up. We will partner with FGN for the vaccination of our people against Covid-19 in 2021. We will step up the health of our citizens to the next level”.
On the Education sector, Governor Umahi said that the 2021 budget has an estimate of 19.47% of the total budget or N23,913,778,152.08 to Education.
“Our Government believes that the best thing to give to the society is education. We will ensure that in 2021, no child of Ebonyi State is without education. We will pursue the training of our teachers with more incentives”.
We will continue to improve on the quality of our schools’ infrastructure and learning materials. We will conduct a visitation programme to our State University and College of Education with the sole aim of improving the quality of education and the welfare of staff and students. Education in 2021 has the highest budget of the State”.
The Ministry of Works and Transport has a budget of N9,206,693,563.56 or 7.49% of the total budget.
Governor Umahi said that the budget proposal is intended to ensure the completion of all on-going projects before starting new ones.
“The completion of flyovers bridges, dualization of Abakaliki to Enugu and Abakaliki to Afikpo, the Iyere flyover bridge in Afikpo South LGA, the completion of the remaining 16km out of 31km of Ntezi – Agba – Isu road in Ishielu and Onicha LGAs will be our focus. All the on-going projects in all the LGAs will be completed in 2021”.
He said that through the Ministry of Infrastructural Development for Concension, the State is developing the airport and few other infrastructures adding that the state has opened bids for the airport equipment and expressed the hope that the contractor would be mobilize this December 2021.
“Other major works of the airport that will be completed in 2021 include the earth works, parks, terminal building, and concrete works of the 4km by 65m of the runway. We hope to open the airport for business latest by June 2022. The budget here is therefore N14,012,217,549.64 or 11.41% of the total budget”.
The State Governor also pointed out that the total budget for the 5 priority MDAs in line with the focus for 2021 budget stands at a total of N69bn or 56.24% of the budget.
The budget which was thereafter presented before the House by the Governor, was accepted as a working document after a motion was moved and seconded by the Leader of the House and member Representing Ezza North West, Hon Victor Chukwu and Hon Anthony Nwegede Representing Izzi East state constituency.
The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt Hon Francis Nwifuru thereafter put the motion to vote and it was unanimously accepted.
After members of the House had made contributions, the budget passed the second reading.
