3 hours ago
2
Delta State House of Assembly has given a reason for increasing the 2025 budget from N936.1 billion to N979.2 billion.
According to the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Hon (Mrs) Marilyn Okowa-Daramola, the N43.1 billion increase is 7.34% over the originally proposed capital expenditure budget estimate of N587.3billion forwarded to the House by Governor Oborevwori.
The recurrent expenditure, she said, was jacked up by N50 million from N348.717 billion to N348.767 billion, which is a 0.014% increase.
Speaking shortly after the third reading and passage of the appropriation bill on Wednesday, Hon Okowa-Daramola said that the unquenchable appetite for more infrastructural development led to the increase, adding that in the 2025 budget, Deltans will witness more physical infrastructural growth across the State.
The lawmaker who represents Ika North East Constituency explained that the house saw the need to give more attention to capital expenditure, which is a priority focus for Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
She further said the increment in capital expenditure was aimed at improving infrastructural development in the three senatorial districts of the State.
She pointed out that the amendment was majorly in the economic sector, which caters to rural, riverine, and urban roads, as good road infrastructure would always boost productivity and socio-economic growth in the state.
“We have an increase of N43.1 billion for capital expenditure and N50 million for recurrent expenditure. As we all know, one of the priority focuses of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration is infrastructural development, and we as a house also saw the need to expend more for capital expenditure across the three senatorial districts.
“This amendment was mostly done in the economic sector where you have both ministries of rural and urban roads to cater for, and you know the importance of more roads in the state. It boosts economic development.
“We also had an amendment in riverine infrastructure because we saw the need for more connectivity to those in the riverine areas of the State,” Hon Okowa-Daramola stated.
The lawmaker expressed optimism that with the passed 2025 appropriation bill, the state government will perform more than it did in the outgoing year, saying that Deltans should hope for the best in the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
