The Governor of Sokoto State, Ahmed Aliyu unveiled an ambitious 2024 budget surpassing N270 billion during a presentation at the State House of Assembly. Titled the “Budget of Hope and Resilience,” the governor highlighted a significant focus on infrastructural development, totaling N270,134,091,757:01 Kobo.
Diving into revenue sources, the governor delineated that the statutory allocation from the federation account is projected at N138,929,550,974:00 naira, complemented by N37,085,037,053:63 Kobo from internally generated payments, culminating in a comprehensive revenue of N176,014,588,027:63 Kobo.
With an opening balance of 13,310,358,374,60k, coupled with capital receipts aids and grants at 14,396,222,781:12k, and capital development funds at 60,379,186,380:00, the grand total reaches 74,775,409,168:12 Kobo.
Breaking down expenditures, recurrent costs stand at N90,640,286,421:53 Kobo, with personnel costs at N46,923,537,990:52 Kobo and overhead expenses at N50,938,232,612:65 Kobo. Capital estimates amount to N172,238,584,960:27 Kobo, resulting in a comprehensive expenditure of N270,100,355,563:35 Kobo.
Governor Sokoto called for the assembly’s cooperation in meticulously reviewing and expeditiously passing the budget, aiming for implementation by January 2024. He underscored that the budget echoes the aspirations of the populace and aligns with his administration’s nine-point agenda.
Delving deeper into budget allocations, Education takes the lead with an allocation of N42,868,402,566:5 Kobo, followed by the Health sector at N31,014,441,399:19 Kobo. The Agriculture sector secures 10,252,388,581:62 Kobo, earmarked for assorted grains, fertilizer, and farm input procurement. The Ministry of Works and Transportation is allocated N18,807,208,595:17 Kobo. Additionally, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and water resources receive N9,907,759,878:33 Kobo and N9,243,892,234:54 Kobo, respectively.
Governor Sokoto expressed gratitude to development partners and civil servants for their invaluable contributions to budget preparation. He anticipates collaborative efforts for the successful implementation of policies and programs in the coming year. Speaker Tukur Bala assured the governor of the assembly’s unwavering commitment to diligently work on the budget, pledging support for the realization of the nine-point agenda.
