Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State
The Bauchi State executive council has approved the slashing of its 2020 fiscal year budget from N167 billion to N128 billion to meet the new realities of the state occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the slash budget will be subjected to final scrutiny by the state house of assembly before before passage into law.
The State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Aminu Gamawa, disclosed this at a press briefing after the state executive extra ordinary meeting at the Government House in Bauchi.
The commissioner said that downsizing the budget was as a result of the negative impact of the Coronavirus pandemic not only to health but also on the state’s economy.
He noted that the outbreak of COVID-19 is a global issue and has caused not only health crisis but also economic recession across the globe in which necessitated the state government to set up a committee to explore modalities means of revenue generation and advise it on the economic implications of the pandemic.
Dr. Aminu Gamawa disclosed that the Innitial budget estimate was N167 billion while the current revised budget estimate stands at N128 billion.
He added that projects and programs related to COVID-19 that were not in the budget have been included, particularly in sectors like health, education, agriculture as well as youth and women empowerment.
The commissioner assured that details of the budget will be published on the ministry’s website once it is passed by the state assembly for transparency and accountability.
