John Iwori
31 December 2005
Yenagoa — like a lightening in a thunderstorm, members of the Bayelsa state House of Assembly yesterday approved the 2006 appropriation bill submitted to them on Wednesday by the state Governor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, just as they added an additional N4 billion to the state expenditure profile.
Jonathan had in his address presented on the floor of the House said the appropriation bill tagged "budget of restoration and wealth creation" was meant to fight poverty in the lives of the oil and gas rich state.
With the passage of the appropriation bill into law, the 2006 budget becomes the fastest bill considered in the House history. This was because it was only last Wednesday that the bill was presented to the House.
Addressing newsmen at the Conference Room of the Assembly Complex, Amarata, Yenagoa, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Culture, Tourism and Strategy, Hon. Nadu Karibo said members of the House decided to pass the appropriation bill into law without much delay because as he put it: "the people of the state are yearning for speedy sustainable development in view of the events in recent times and we do not want to be seen as clogs in the wheel of progress".
According to Karibo who represents Ogbia Constituency II, the idea of adding an additional N4billion was informed by the need to meet critical basic needs of the citizenry like roads, education, health centres and other infrastructural facilities.
Karibo who was one of the lawmakers that played key roles in the impeachment of the erstwhile governor of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, said the people of the state were in a hurry to catch up with other parts of the country and no stone should be left unturned to meet their needs.
He argued that it was better to jerk the budget up now rather than wait and consider a supplementary budget a few months into 2006.
The lawmaker did not however specify the sectors the additional N4 billion would be added.
When THISDAY insisted to get the sectors, which would benefit from the additional N4billion, he said that the document to this effect is yet to be signed by the new speaker of the House, Hon. Seibarugu Werinipre and promised to make it available as soon as possible.
With the additional figure, the 2006 budget is now N129 billion, making it the highest so far in the 9 years old state.
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