KATSINA, FEBRUARY 21, 2017 – The Katsina State House of Assembly on Monday passed the N140.1 billion appropriation bill for 2017.
Governor Aminu Masari will now need to sign the document before it becomes law.
The budget’s capital expenditure is N96.3 billion, while the recurrent expenditure is N43.8 billion.
Gov. Aminu Masari had earlier presented N140.2 billion to the house for deliberation, proposing N92.5 billion as capital and N47.7 billion for recurrent expenditures.
Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Alhaji Hambali Faruk, from Katsina constituency, explained that few amendments were made on the revenue and expenditure in the budget.
Faruk further said that the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) was adjusted from N19 billion to N18.4 billion.
He expressed the hope that the 2017 fiscal year would have more prospects in terms of revenue generation, compared to the previous year.
Faruk noted that the budget had an opening balance of over N24 billion, which included N20 billion refunds from the Paris Club and other miscellaneous revenues.
After the house adopted the amendments, the Speaker, Alhaji Abubakar Yahaya, directed the Clerk of the house to submit a copy to the executive arm for assent and implementation.
In Nasarawa state, Gov.Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa on Monday signed into law the 2017 Appropriation Bill of N69.9 billion passed by the State House of Assembly.
While signing the bill before the Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi in Lafia, Al-Makura thanked the legislators for the speed and diligence with which they worked on the budget.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov.Al-Makura assented to the bill shortly after the speaker presented it to him.
“You have been patriotic and supportive of this administration, which is a testimony of your commitment and interest in the development of Nasarawa State.
“I call on you for continued partnership in order to provide the much-needed dividend of democracy to our people,’’ he said.
The governor said the speedy passage of the bill would guide against stagnation in the aspiration and vision of his administration to discharge constitutional obligations to the citizens of the state.
“The state now has the leverage to implement the 2017 budget through vibrant functional activities which will commence immediately as approved by the Assembly.
“We will abide absolutely by what has been prescribed in the budget and I hope our dreams and aspirations as enshrined in this budget will take the state forward, ‘’ he said.
