From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, yesterday, signed into law the state appropriation bill of N376,456,634,924.66 for 2023.
Commissioner for Planning and Budget, Hajiya Umma Aboki, who made this known at a press briefing, yesterday, said the budget prioritises health and education sectors as 43.70 per cent has been earmarked for the two sectors.
Giving a breakdown of the budget, the commissioner said: “15.70 per cent of the total budget has been allocated to health and 28 per cent of the total budget is allocated to education, bringing the total allocation to health and education to 43.70 per cent.
“This is consistent with the state government’s commitment to allocate a minimum of 15 per cent and 25 per cent of its total annual budget to health and education respectively,’’ she said.
The commissioner said an allocation of about three per cent of the total budget to social welfare and pro-poor interventions has been spread across various implementing ministries, departments and agencies, in line with government’s policy of leaving no one behind.
Aboki further disclosed the capital expenditure of the budget amounts to N240,972,204,025.09, which is 64.01 per cent of the entire budget, while recurrent expenditure is N135,484,430,899.57, that is 35.99 per cent of the budget.
“The 2023 appropriation bill which is referred to as the “Budget of Continuous Growth and Development,” epitomises continuity of development while strategising on minimising economic shocks occasioned by the unintended effects of policy reforms.
“The budget is focused on cushioning the negative effects by prioritising human capital and social development, and the completion of ongoing projects with a view to consolidating the achievements of the past seven years that will enable the smooth transition of government,’’ he said.