Umahi signs 2016 appropriation bill

Yesterday, December 24, 2015 upon passage of the bill by the Ebonyi Sate House of Assembly, the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi signed into law the 2016 Appropriation Bill of N100.1 billion Naira.

The Governor at the Government House yesterday has said that the 2016 budget was predicated on his administration’s desire to create job opportunities for youths in the State.

He explained further that the aim of his administration was to engage this youths in dignified ventures of various kinds. This would also curb the increased number of Ebonyi Indigenes who hawk on major roads in the state.

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Also on the agenda of the Government for 2016 is the need to assist the indigent members of the state, especially widows, to pursue its urban renewal drive, ensure efficient health care services, boost the state of agriculture and to also address the plight of Ebonyi people in general.

Governor David Umahi also disclosed that come 2016, his administration would focus on agriculture and internally generated revenue, this is to make the state buoyant and self-sustaining.

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Although, he expressed regrets over the about thirty three per cent (33%) decrease in the expected inflow from the Federation Account, the said income stands at about N36 billion, that is, N3 billion per month.

Governor Dave at the Government house said "The chunk of the budget or 20% of it is expected to come from agriculture, N20 billion; we also expect about sixty something billion to come from IGR. We expect to borrow about N17 billion from the capital market and financial houses.

“Unfortunately, from the time we proposed this budget to today, the expected inflow from federation account,which stands about N36 billion,at N3 billion per month has gone down by about 33%.”

Governor Umahi commended the Ebonyi House of Assembly for the swift passage of the bill and called for stronger collaboration in the implementation of the budget.

Notwithstanding the fact that the bill was quickly passes, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Francis Nwifuru, had earlier explained that the budget which was submitted to the house on the 10th of December, 2015, went through the normal process before passage.