Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara has presented N187.5 billion revised budget estimate to the state House of Assembly for consideration and passage.

This is contained in a message from the governor addressed to the speaker, Yakubu Danladi, and read on the floor of the house during Tuesday’s plenary. 

The governor said the revised appropriation bill would be placed on ongoing capital projects and consistent payment of the new minimum wage across the board.

He noted that the revised estimate represents a shortfall of N2.08 billion or 1.1 per cent from the approved 2022 budget of N189.6 billion. 

He submitted that 52.34 per cent of the revised budget would go for recurrent, while capital expenditure would gulp the remaining 47.66 per cent.

He, however, explained that the recurrent peaked partly to accommodate a rise in personnel cost.

Such cost includes the full implementation of the minimum wage in the mainstream civil service, agencies and parastatals of the state government, including the Colleges of Education and other overhead items.

The speaker, thereafter, referred the revised budget estimate to the House Committee on Appropriation for further legislative action.

In another development, the house urged the governor to direct the state Ministry of Communications to sensitise the citizens of the state against the illegal dumping of refuse to prevent disaster and diseases.

This followed a matter of general public importance raised by Deputy Speaker Raphael Adetiba, representing the Oke-Ero Constituency.

The speaker, while reading the resolutions of the house, advocated strict punishment for violators of laws to serve as deterrents to others. 

(NAN)