Bayelsa Governor Diri Presents N385.2 Billion Budget Proposal For 2023 

Bayelsa Governor Diri Presents N385.2 Billion Budget Proposal For 2023 

·         Unveils Flood, Erosion Control Directorate, Lists Infrastructure Projects, OthersBy Edu Abade

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has presented an N385.2 billion Appropriation Bill for the 2023 fiscal year to the House of Assembly for consideration.

Presenting the proposal tagged: Budget of Sustainable Growth and Reconstruction on the floor of the Assembly, Diri said it was hinged on a six-point agenda, which includes the continuous building of infrastructure and reconstruction of existing infrastructure that had been severely degraded by the floods.

He also said the civil service would be made more professional, as well as transform the state’s agricultural sector to be an essential contributor to the state’s economy and generate employment through various empowerment programmes.

Diri stated that while his administration continues to engage the Federal Government for intervention in the flood situation, a special Directorate for Flood and Erosion Control and Management would be established to provide technical support for flooding and erosion-related issues.

He further stated that the budget would be funded from various sources such as the monthly Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) receipts to the tune of N153.511 billion, representing 40 per cent of the total budget.

Other sources are the 13 per cent derivation with N148 billion representing 39 per cent, internally generated revenue (IGR) of N20 billion representing 5 per cent, grants of N16.7 billion representing four per cent and loans of N47 billion representing 12 per cent.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Daniel Alabrah, the governor also highlighted the proposed expenditure to include personnel cost of N63.380 billion, overhead cost (N95.458 billion), capital expenditure (N167.545 billion), pension and gratuities(N14.711 billion), public debt servicing (N33.7 billion) and contributory pension, LG RDAs and SUBEB (N4.7 billion).

Details of sector-by-sector allocations indicated that the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure got the lion’s share of N77.924 billion, followed by the Education Ministry with N40.458 billion, just as the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources got N14.199 billion, Environment N13.842 billion, while Health received an N12.526 billion allocation.

Others are the Lands and Housing Ministry (N7.278 billion), Information, Orientation and Strategy (N6.319 billion), Ministry of Transportation (N5.322 billion), Local Government and Community Development Ministry (N5.793 billion), Youth and Sports Ministry (N4.610 billion), Trade, Industry and Investments (N2.844 billion), while the Ministry of Power got N2.5 billion.

Stating that the state government had prudently implemented the 2022 budget and made remarkable headway in executing several capital-intensive projects, he highlighted some of them including the 22.2km Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie road, which had been asphalted close to Angiama Community, the bridge across the Silver River at Aguobiri Community close to 90 per cent completion, while work on the Angiama-Oporoma Bridge was ongoing and being adequately funded.

According to him, the continuation of the 42km stretch of the Sagbama-Ekeremor road, which asphalting had reached Aleibiri in Ekeremor Council is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of next year.

“Work is also in progress on one lane and median of the 21km Igbogene-AIT/Elebele Outer Ring Road while two sections of the road from Igbogene to Okarki and Imiringi to Elebele roundabout, have been completed. Work is ongoing on the two remaining sections of the lane,” he said.

Diri also disclosed that construction of the Nembe-Brass Road, conceived over seven decades ago, was ongoing, stating that the first phase of the road covers 21km with 10 bridges and had a completion timeline of 24 months.

Responding to the governor’s presentation, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, described it as historic being the last of the Prosperity Government’s first tenure and the last the present crop of lawmakers would attend before next year’s election.

He assured that the assembly under his watch will prioritise the appropriation bill and ensure deliberation on it was completed before the end of the year, adding that the lawmakers would do due diligence on the bill and would perform their oversight functions in ensuring that all projects and programmes captured in the appropriation docu

Ingobere, however, drew the governor’s attention to what he described as revenue leakages in the state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and advised that the financial team synergises to block all loopholes in the revenue-generating agencies that he said were not remitting levies to the state coffers.