The augmentation brings the revised total recurrent expenditure for 2017 to N91billion, while capital expenditure stands at N313 billion.

The approved supplementary Bill brings the revised total Budget of the State for 2017 to N485,792,485.80 billion.

Governor Udom Emmanuel on July 16, 2017 forwarded a supplementary proposal of N114 billion to the House of Assembly.

The House Committee on Appropriations and Finance chaired by Usoro Akpanusoh reviewed the proposal upwards by N500million.

The governor’s letter to the House of Assembly states that the supplementary budget will be used to fund 19 projects.

Projects listed in the letter include, completion of 4-points by Sheraton Hotel, Ikot Ekpene; construction of governor’s lodge, Lagos; setting up of computer laboratories in schools; construcion of 16.4 km Nto Edino road, Obot Akara, and high-rising building at former Uyo main market; as well as dualisation of ring road 2 & 3.

Details of capital expenditure in the supplementary Bill passed by the House of Assembly today shows that N2billion is allocated to Akwa Ibom Water Corporation, N1billion to Akwa Ibom Road Maintenance Agency, N9billion to budget office and N500million to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

Additional N10billion is approved for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sufficiency, N5billion to Economic Development, Ministry of Education headquarters has N500million, Ministry of Housing and Urban Renewal N11billion, Lands and Town Planning N1.5billion, Science and Technology N250million.

Others are, Ministry of Special Duties N9.6billion, Youth and Sports N1.6billion, Accountant General Office N376million, Office of the SSG 2.5billion, Office of the Governor N2billion, Ministry of Works N54billion.

Details of approved recurrent provision in the supplementary Bill are as follows. Budget office- N2billion, bringing it recurrent expenditure to N13billion, while Ministry of Finance headquarters is allocated N1billion.

Actual capital receipt of the State was N101billion as at June, 2017, according to report of the Appropriations and Finance Committee.

The report states that the supplementary provision is based the N24.5billion capital receipt from Paris club refund.

Speaker of the House Assembly, Barr. Onofiok Luke said the N500million capital addition for the House of Assembly will be used for construction of a “standard clinic and press centre” in the House of Assembly.

AKWA IBOM GOVT. PROPOSES SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET FOR 2017

Akwa Ibom Government Proposes N114bn Supplementary Budget

Akwa Ibom State Government is considering a proposal for supplementary budget to enhance the execution of its programmes and policies for the 2017 fiscal year.

This was the outcome of an enlarged Executive Council meeting, presided over by Governor Udom Emmanuel, at the Council Chamber, Government House Uyo.

Commissioner for Finance, Mr Linus Nkan, who briefed Government House Press Correspondents after the meeting, said that the supplementary budget has become necessary in view of the prevailing economic reality in the country.

Mr. Nkan explained that the supplementary budget would take care of certain areas of economic development that were not previously captured in the budget, this, he said, would enable the administration continue in executing its people – oriented projects and programmes.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Housing and Special Duties, Mr. Akan Okon, stated that the prevailing down-turn in the economy has distorted projections earlier captured in the 2017 budget, adding that the development has necessitated the leadership of the state to consider possible ways of executing the 2017 budget as intended.

His words : ” Those indices that were projected in the budget are not obtainable due to the persistence of recession, therefore there was need to do a supplementary budget that would ensure that projects that the government proposed for this financial year, are carried out for the benefit of Akwa Ibom people”.

Credit Abasifreke Effiong and Uwem Kerns