Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has presented a budget proposal of One hundred billion, seven hundred and three million, nine hundred and ninety-three thousand, two hundred and forty-one naira, sixty kobo (N100,703,993,241:60) for the 2022 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly.
The budget tagged “Budget of legacy and consolidation” consisted of N60, 686, 914, 229. 22 recurrent expenditure and N40,067,079,012.38 for capital expenditure.
Dr Fayemi remarked that the budget proposal was another demonstration of the policy trust of his government with less dependent on federal allocation and widening of the internally generated revenue.
He rated the 2021 budget as successful despite the low resources and devastating effect of the covid pandemic that affected the world economy.
He described the 2022 fiscal year as a watershed in the life of his administration and in Ekiti State in general.
According to the governor, the year is a year of transition to a new administration and stressed that the primary objective would focus on completion of all ongoing legacy projects and consolidate on the various achievements of the administration.
He also listed other aims of the budget to include reduction of unemployment rate in the State by creating enabling environment to attract more investors which shall create employment opportunities, consolidation and improvement of the efforts put in place for the development of Agribusiness value chain and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMSEs) and to create employment opportunities in all sectors of the State economy.
The governor remarked that workers welfare remains a priority of his administration, promising that his government remained committed to his election promise of liquidating the backlog of outstanding salaries to state workers.
According to him, adequate provisions have been made in the draft budget to clear the backlog of salary arrears inherited from the past administration.
Breakdown of the budget are Agriculture & Rural Development 2,201,267,159.48,
Infrastructure & Industrial Develptment 28,056,524,153.02,
Knowledge Economy, 19,716,187,472.85,
Social Investment, 14,063,965,875.87, and governance 36,716,049,580.38.
The governor remarked that Ekiti State occupies a pride of place in human capital resources hence, under the Knowledge Economy Pillar, the government would transform the abundant human endowment to economic resources through the initiative of the on-going Ekiti Knowledge Zone project.
He disclosed that the government was collaborating with some Federal Agencies on the knowledge zone project.
In his words “our partnership with the Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority and other Agencies will be strengthened to ensure timely delivery of the project and that the Knowledge Zone becomes operational in the year 2022”.
He said that the government would build more befitting structures to make both learning and teaching environment conducive and attractive in schools while three new Model Schools will be established, one in each Senatorial District in the year 2022.
Dr Fayemi said the 2022 draft budgets of the Legislative and the Judiciary have been incorporated into the budget proposal in line with the autonomy granted the two arms of governments.
While restating that the 2022 budget proposal was a transitional budget, the governor remarked it was painstakingly prepared and projected to make it realistic.
He thanked members of the Assembly for their support for his administration and urged them to consider the 2022 Appropriation Bill quickly to pave way for its implementations.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Rt Hon Funminiyi Afuye said lawmakers of the House would continue to collaborate with the Executive arm to fast track the overall development of the state in line with the vision of the government.
Rt Hon Afuye praised Dr Fayemi for his purposeful leadership styles and expressed hope that the 2022 budget would sustain and improve on the government achievements.
He promised that members would scrutinised the budget with a view to pass it before the end of the year.
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