Port Harcourt — * Begins preparation for 2025 Appropriation Bill
The Rivers State Government has stated that there is no going back on the implementation of the 2024 budget, adding that it is too late for it to be re-presented before any authority.
The state Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Prof. Peter Medee, who stated this at a one-day public consultation and pre-budget workshop on the 2025 budget estimates, said the 2024 budget was already in its final quarter, stressing that those angling for it to be re-presented were living in illusion.
It would be recalled that an Abuja Federal High Court had ruled that the Rivers State 2024 Appropriation Bill be re-presented to the embattled Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly.
The verdict is now a subject of appeal at the Supreme Court.
However, Medee noted that the 2024 budget was part of a medium-term framework (MTF), which had been approved by the state executive council and the State House of Assembly (RSHA).
He said: "This is the state's Action on Business Enabling reforms. A World Bank and Nigeria's Governors Forum initiative to incentivise the states and the subnational entities on Ease of Doing Business (EoDB)."
Medee insisted that the 2024 budget cannot be re-presented saying: "It is regrettable that the 2024 Rivers State appropriation, which has performed to the end of the third quarter will still be expected to be targeted at by some unpatriotic, overzealous, gullible, and ambitious antagonists of our state. These are people who still think that a budget that has passed through these stages with exceptionally higher performance can be reversed under any circumstance."
He further said budgeting is a process, adding that no agency of government can stop a process of governance.
"Let me re-emphasise that budget is not a book on the shelf of any government; a budget is a process; so, when you follow through the process from January 1 to December 31, it is a complete year on the process and we have done the process from January to October, so it makes no sense of anybody who thinks that budget that has commenced from January 1 to October should be revisited or re-presented. So, that's an academic exercise," he stated.
Giving a background of the performance of the 2024 budget, Medee said it was higher than the N744.7 million budgeted for 2023.
He also said N283.23 billion was expected from federal allocation, while N231 billion is expected from internally generated revenue (IGR), adding that by the end of June 2024, the state had grossed N209 billion from federal allocation and N164.6billion from internally generated revenue (IGR).
The Budget Commissioner noted that the budget had over 50 per cent capital provision, citing some key projects already executed from the budget including the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Opobo-Andoni Unity Road, Egbema internal roads, Aleto to Bori internal roads, Omoku dualised road, Emohua - Kalabari road, remodeling of Government Comprehensive Secondary School Borikiri, amongst others.
Medee said Governor Siminalayi Fubara's administration would vigorously pursue the dividends of democracy for the people in social protection programmes, provision of agricultural inputs to fight food scarcity, and support to small-scale businesses.
He explained that the pre-budget workshop was intended to offer people of the state the opportunity to examine how the state has performed in the implementation of the 2024 Appropriation for the past nine months.
Medee said the workshop was also to appreciate the challenges and make reasonable and well-informed inputs in preparation for the formulation of the 2025 Appropriation Bill.
While declaring the workshop open, Governor Siminalayi Fubara commended the initiative by the ministry for public participation in shaping the budget of the state.
He said: "Our mantra is Rivers First, and we are clear on it. Thus, every policy, every naira spent must translate to directly benefit the lives of all citizens that dwell and do business in Rivers State.
"In the year 2024, we prudently managed the budget of N800 billion so far with the target of meeting the aspirations of the people. Bringing people together on the budget is a major development for which I commend the commissioner. That is what governance is all about. It is for the people and everyone, it is about meeting critical principles, visionary leadership, local justice, infrastructure, and environment stewardship. The bottom line is sustainable development."
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Represented by his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, the governor highlighted his achievements in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic policies which foster entrepreneurship and innovation.
The governor said for 2025, his government's focus would be on four cardinal principles of visionary leadership and strategic governance, economic innovations and fiscal sustainability, social justice and inclusive development, transformational infrastructure, and environmental stewardship.
Fubara added that the implementation of the 2025 NGF automated budget template and the alignment with international public sector accounting standards, positions Rivers State as the vanguard of public financial management in the country.
