The Delta House of Assembly on Tuesday, passed the state N66.38 billion 2021 supplementary budget.
This was sequel to the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation at plenary in Asaba.
Presenting the report, the Committee Chairman, Mrs. Erhiateke Ibori-Suenu said that after careful examination of the budget, it was obvious that it was in order.
She added that the budget as sought by Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa was necessitated by the urgent need for accelerated socio-economic development of the state.
She said that the budget was made up of N15.72 billion recurrent expenditure and N50.65 billion capital expenditure.
“The re-ordering of some specific sub-heads was as a result of the need for the government to redirect unspent funds in some budget heads to very strategic, critical projects and programmes in order to finish strong.
“The proposed amendment accommodates the realignment of funds to facilitate payments for the ongoing projects at the new technical colleges and various ongoing infrastructure projects undertaken by the state government,” she said.
Consequently, the Majority Leader, Mr. Ferguson Onwo moved for the suspension of relevant rules of the House to take the third reading and passage of the bill.
The motion which was unanimously adopted by the lawmakers when put into a voice vote by the Speaker, Chief Sherriff Oborevwori, was seconded by the Minority Leader, Mr. Innocent Anidi.
The speaker commended the lawmakers for their inputs in ensuring the speedy passage of the budget, and appreciated Okowa for his prudent management of the state resources as well as the tax payers’ money in the state.
Also at Tuesday’s plenary, a Bill for the establishment of Asaba Specialist Hospital scaled through first reading.(NAN)
