The Gombe State House of Assembly has passed the state’s budget estimate for the year 2024, amounting to N208.064 billion.
According to reports, the budget has seen a rise of N300 million compared to the initially submitted N207.750 billion by the state governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Yahaya.
A statement released on Wednesday by the Chief Information Officer of the House, Mr. Umaru Ma’aji, provided a detailed breakdown of the budget estimate.
The Speaker of the House, Abubakar Luggerewo, expressed gratitude to the lawmakers for their support, cooperation, and the efficient handling of the appropriation bill, according to the statement.
While presenting the committee’s report, Alhaji Aliyu Manu, who represents Gombe North and serves as the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, noted that the committee observed a lack of familiarity among the budget officers of various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies with the budget provisions. The budget is guided by the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework.
“Therefore we recommend that henceforth budget office should transmit executive council’s approved budget to ministries and as well as consider and approved N208, 064,000,000.00, as total budget size of Gombe state,” the statement partly read.
Ma’aji said the 2024 budget, tagged ‘Budget of Continuity and Consolidation’ focus on completion of all ongoing projects starting from the first tenure of the present governor, adding that 43 per cent of the budget goes to economic sector while 11 per cent goes to social sector .
He added, “After a clause by clause consideration by the Speaker, Abubakar Luggerewo, at the committee of the whole and contributions by the members, the bill was read for the third time and passed into law.”
Luggerewo commended his colleagues for their support and cooperation toward the committee members.
Simultaneously, the House has passed a resolution to send a reminder letter to the members of the National Assembly representing Gombe North, urging them to follow up with the Federal Ministry of Works regarding the deteriorated condition of the Gombe Funakaye – Nafada Road. This road had been previously awarded but lacked funding.
Presenting the report on this matter, Mustapha Hassan, the Chairman of the House Committee on Works and Transportation, informed the House that his committee had engaged with the Federal Ministry of Works Area Office in Gombe, FERMA, and the State Ministry of Works and Transportation. Through these interactions, they discovered that the project had been included in the 2024 budget of the Federal Government.