The Ogun state government has presented a budget estimate of N420.630 billion as the year 2019 Appropriation Bill to the state House of Assembly.
The Appropriation Bill tagged ‘Budget of Enduring Legacy,’ represents a 17 per cent increase compared to that of the outgoing year which stood at N345.4 billion.
Presenting the budget estimate before the state lawmakers, governor Ibikunle Amosun explained that the year 2019 Appropriation Bill would be substantially financed through the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), while a total of N42 billion was expected to be a total receipt from the Federation Account.
He said the state was expected to generate the sum of N101.38 billion from her capital receipts, with other state’s receipts which was being projected at N80 billion, representing 19.80% of the total funding.
Amosun explained that the proposed Budget was to be allocated among the five Cardinal Programmes of his administration which included: Affordable and Qualitative Education, Efficient Healthcare Delivery, Agricultural Production/Industrialisation, Affordable Housing & Urban Renewal as well as Rural& Infrastructural Development/Employment Generation.
Leadership in the comity of states
The Governor explained that his government has been on a development journey that has a clear momentum which must not be truncated for the state to fully occupy its rightful place of leadership in the comity of states.
“The privilege of standing here for the eighth straight time, presents us with an opportunity to look back on how far we have come as a state and where we envision our beautiful state to be in the coming years,” he said.
The sectoral breakdown of the “Budget of Enduring Legacy” however, indicated that education sector will gulp a lion share as the state’s affordable qualitative education programmes would get a share of N88.57bn, representing 22 per cent of the budget.
“Education will take the lion‟s share of our budget with N88.579bn or 22% allocated as we continue to strive towards the 26% recommended by UNESCO,” he said.
“In 2019, we will invest heavily in school infrastructure, upgrading primary and secondary schools across the State with the support of SUBEB. We will continue to invest in our model secondary schools and we expect to open additional locations during the year in response to growing demand.”
“I am confident that this Budget of Enduring Legacy will provide a worthy fiscal baton from this Administration to the next, helping to drive the ‘Mission to Rebuild’ to another level of Auto Pilot,” he said.
After the governor has laid the Appropriation Bill before the state lawmakers, Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Suraju Ishola Adekunbi pledged the Assembly’s continued corporation for the realisation of the yearnings and aspirations of the people of the state.
Adekunbi gave an assurance that members of the 8th Legislative Assembly would ensure a speedy passage of bills within the shortest time possible.
The Speaker adds that the Assembly will continue to make laws that will make life more meaningful to the people of the state.