Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State
By Akpan David Calabar
Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has stated that his next years budget of N250 billion will aim at completing the projects initiated by his predecessors.
He disclosed this few hours ago when he presented the 2024 state budget to the House of Assembly.
The budget is christened People’s First Budget.
He said the budget will also aim at payment of remuneratory obligations to both civil servants and retirees, grants, livelihood support, as well as vocational trainings /empowerment among many others.
He said the budget will be a complete departure from the usual norm.
According to the Governor, out of the N250 billion proposed, capital expenditure will gulp N154billion, while N96billion is for recurrent expenditure.
He said that the budget will consolidate on the gains of his predecessors.
“We have prioritized a higher capital expenditure over recurrent expenditure in our public expenditure structure.
“As a deliberate principle, we have maintained a higher capital expenditure to recurrent expenditure of 61.6 % and 38.4%, respectively.
“This does not only emphasize the importance of structural development but also a demonstration of the state’s commitment to the provision of the much needed infrastructural facilities in our rural and urban cities,” the governor said.
Apart from the monthly federal allocation and donor funds, Otu explained that he hopes to generate more money from taxes and levies, calling on the people to make sacrifices in these areas.
“The State Internal Revenue Service has been repositioned to ensure that every taxable adult is brought into the tax net.”
He disclosed that the state will also emphasise on mechanized agriculture to ensure food sufficiency and zero hunger according to the Sustainable Development Goal Number Two of the United Nations.
Other areas of priority include education, health, environment, infrastructure and youth development.
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