Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi has presented an appropriation bill and budget estimates of one hundred and seventy-eight billion, one hundred and thirty-six million, six hundred and thirty-four thousand, nine hundred and seventy-five naira, thirty-eight Kobo (178,136,634,975.38) for the 2020 Fiscal Year to Ebonyi state House of Assembly for approval.
According to Umahi who tagged the bill “BUDGET OF GROWTH, CONSOLIDATION AND TRANSFORMATION”, said that Health, Education, Works, Security, Infrastructure, Agriculture and Human Capital Development and Commerce and Industry will be accorded priority.
His words “While Works and Infrastructure for Concession will receive a total of fifty-four billion, one hundred and twenty-five million and eighty-three thousand, four hundred and sixty-eight Naira, forty-eight Kobo (N54,125,083,468.48) or 30.38% of the total budget sum.
“Education will receive a total of twenty-seven billion, and ninety-seven million, two hundred and sixty-two thousand, three hundred and eighty-eight naira sixty-nine kobo (N27,097,262,388.69) or 15.21% of the total budget sum.
“Health will receive a total of fifteen billion, four hundred and sixty-six million, five hundred and forty-one thousand six hundred and three naira eighty-five Kobo (N15,466,541,603.85) or 8.68% of the total budget.
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“Human Capital Development and Commerce and Industry will jointly receive the sum of eight billion and sixteen million, eighty-eight thousand three hundred and twenty-four naira Seventy (N 8,016,088,324.70) or 4.50% of the total sum.
“Agriculture will receive three billion, seven hundred and sixty-nine million, seven hundred and forty-two thousand, seven hundred and ten Naira sixty-five (N3,769,742,710.65) or 2.13% of the budget.
“Security will receive two billion, six hundred and seventy-five million, five hundred thousand Naira (N 2,675,500,000) or 1.5% of the budget sum, making a total of one hundred and eleven billion, one hundred and fifty million, two hundred and eighteen thousand four hundred and ninety-six naira thirty-seven Kobo (N 111,150,218,496.37) or 62.40% of the budget sum allocated to the 6 critical sub-sectors.
” Education, we shall inject N7.6 billion in construction and renovation of schools, across 171 wards of the state, we shall equip our schools and construct a modern library and e-learning facilities for students. We shall embark on comprehensive training and retraining of teachers to enhance their knowledge and teaching skills. The four vocational institutes namely: The King David Gifted Children Academy, Vocational college, Vocational Agric Training Institute and The Tehilla Adult Education School shall be adequately funded and they shall be a springboard for economic development in the state. Funding shall also go to School Agricultural programme which Ebonyi State is the first to introduce.
“Sports Development and technical education shall receive full attention. Our commitment towards minimum wage for our Civil servants is unwavering. We shall prioritize funding on the minimum wage and also introduce incentive-based programmes to motivate and reward our civil servants especially our teachers.
“In our bid to bequeath functional and effective health care and drive a preventive and rural-based health care system, we are building a world-class State University Teaching Hospital. Construction work has started, but we shall increase funding this coming year. The 13 General Hospitals and 178 Primary Health Care Centres shall receive increased funding. We shall increase our commitment to the implementation of the Health Insurance Scheme and make it more beneficial to our civil servants.
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“We shall increase funding to complete on-going flyover construction work at Ezzamgbo junction, Uburu College of Medicine junction and Abaomege which have reached an advanced stage.
We shall inject funds in the dualization of the major highways including Abakaliki-Enugu road, Abakaliki-Afikpo road. We shall construct more flyovers in major junctions including Waterworks, Vanco, Onueke, Amasiri, Uburu and Nkalagu junctions. We shall inject more funds to the Airport and stadium projects which we have already started. Our administration is committed to constructing eight (8) more flyovers, some of which we have started in earnest.
“We shall pay more attention to Human Capital Development through and exposing our youths, women, widows, professionals in entrepreneurship and vocational programmes. We shall promote industrialization through the funding of micro, small and medium scale enterprises. We shall pay all necessary counterpart contributions to engage development partners and donor agencies in the empowerment of our people.
“We shall increase funding for security infrastructure. We shall install CCTV Camera in all Headquarters of the Local Government Areas. We shall aggressively pursue dry season farming, procure more machines and engage more farmers in modern farming.
However, the 2020 budget had 10.3 billion naira difference when compared with 2019 of 188.4 billion Naira.
and then