Education, health sectors get lion share of 2017 budget in Bauchi

Bauchi State government has expressed its readiness to take educational and health sectors to the next level in the year 2017, with the  allocation of 18 per cent and 16 per cent respectively to the sectors in the 2017 budget of  N145 billion, proposed by Governor Mohammed Abubakar before the House Of Assembly.

The state Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Idris Abdullahi, who disclosed this during the 2017 budget breakdown, said the state government gave priority to education with N27, 451 758,860 which is 18. 87 per cent, followed by health sector, which received N23, 409, 475, 630, making 16.09 per cent of the total budget

According to him, education and health are the most vital sectors which affect all and sundry, hence, the resolve of the present administration to allocate more funds with a view to revamping the two sectors.

He said with the allocation to educational and health sectors, the state government will renovate 293 secondary schools across the state and construct 20 model primary health centres in the 20 local government areas, to provide efficient services and to attend to patients promptly.

To curb rate of unemployment, the commissioner said funding for the agricultural sector was also increased in the 2017 appropriation bill, with the main objective of creating many jobs and wealth, as well as food security, adding that measures have been put in place to ensure the actualisation of the agricultural revolution programme of the administration before the next farming season.

“These measures include purchase of strategic grains for future use, to cushion the effects of price fluctuation on farmers’ income and the provision of farm implements, fertilizer, insecticides, pesticides and other inputs. Tractor hiring unit of the ministry of agriculture is also being strengthened with refurbished tractors, while simple and affordable new ones are being purchased,” he said.

The commissioner also disclosed that the state government would establish farm training centres and demonstration farms, adding that the biometric data of farmers in the state would be taken, to enable small farmers’ access inputs directly at subsidised prices under the Nigeria Agricultural Payment Initiative.