Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has prepared a draft of 166 billion naira proposed budget which he presented to stakeholders, residents and other members of the public in the state today.
The governor gave the hint that the proposed budget, with 104 billion naira as capital and 62 billion naira as recurrent components, would be presented formally to State House of Assembly in December.
El-Rufai spoke to the stakeholders at the General Hassan Katsina State House, Kaduna, during an emergency budget Town Hall meeting.
Governor El-Rufai gave the reason why past governments left behind legacies of abandoned projects one of which was because huge annual budgets were approved without being implemented.
He said that previous administrations in the state had reduced budgeting into a pictographic art without considerations or any relationship to reality.
The governor said that he would always put the people first in all his actions, and that the present administration is determined to reverse the neglect that the public interest had suffered in the past by restoring hope.
He said that some of the reliefs for the poor in the proposed 2016 budget would include interventions in school feeding, planting of economic trees, and waste collection which are expected to create 200,000 jobs.
“We have called this meeting today to present to you the broad principles informing the policy choices that are reflected in the draft 2016 budget. The budget is anchored on the commitments outlined in the Restoration Programme, the manifesto platform on which the Kaduna State APC campaigned.”
He recalled that he made it clear during his campaign that the APC believes in the capacity of the people to make the best choices for themselves, if they are properly educated, given decent healthcare, and jobs in a secure environment.
The major highlights of the 2016 Budget Proposals, he said is a moved away from funding government to providing infrastructure and services to citizens, adding that it will restore the 60:40 ratio in favour of capital expenditure.
“This is in keeping with our agenda to expand access to Education, Healthcare, Jobs and Security.” [myad]
