The Kebbi House of Assembly on Wednesday approved N19.8 billion as the 2023 supplementary budget for the newly established ministries and agencies, as requested by Governor Nasir Idris.

The House Committee on Finance and Appropriation chairman, Adamu Muhammad, who represents Ngaski Constituency, made this known in Birnin Kebbi shortly after the supplementary budget defence exercise by the commissioners of the affected ministries.

He said, “The house received the supplementary budget of N19.8 billion from Governor Idris as a take-off grant for the newly established ministries and some existing ministries to enable them to perform activities that would alleviate the hardship currently being experienced by the people as a result of the fuel subsidy removal.”

Mr Muhammad said the house invited the officials of the affected ministries to defend their budgetary allocations.

He added that the exercise was conducted smoothly as the officials briefed the house on their plans to successfully implement their allocations.

Also speaking shortly after the defence of the budget, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Shehu Mu’azu, said that the supplementary budget would enable the ministries to implement laudable programmes that would provide succour to the state’s people.

On his part, the state Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Empowerment, Hamidu Jarkuka, expressed his ministry’s commitment to properly implementing its budgetary allocation.

The nine newly established ministries received N900 million as a take-off grant.

Out of it, the Ministry of Agriculture got N10 billion, the Ministry of Works and Transport, N4.2 billion for the construction of Federal Roads (Koko/Mahuta/Dabai) and the construction of state and rural roads across the three senatorial districts.

Similarly, N400 million was allocated to the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, the Ministry of Justice got N1.9 billion, security N500 million, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) N1.9 billion, and the women economic empowerment programme N400 million.

(NAN)