The Zamfara House of Assembly on Friday passed the state’s 2023 appropriation Bill after trimming the proposal to N184.8 billion.

This was disclosed by a spokesman to the Assembly, Nasiru Biyabiki.

Governor Bello Matawalle had on November 17 presented the proposed 2023 budget estimate of N188.8 billion to the assembly for approval.

The budget estimate presented by Mr Matawalle consists of N102.5 billion recurrent expenditure and N86,308 billion capital expenditure.

Mr Biyabiki said that the recurrent expenditure was reviewed from N102.5 to N80.3 billion, while the capital expenditures was reviewed from N86.3 billion to N104.5 billion, respectively.

“Presenting the report of the bill at the plenary, the Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Shamsudeen Hassan-Bosko (APC, Talata Mafara, North) said the committee was able to engage all the MDAs to depend their budget proposals,” Mr Biyabiki said in a statement.

He quoted Mr Hassan-Bosko as saying that the house gave priority to performances as one of the measures to ensure a realistic budget for the state in the year 2023.

Mr Hassan-Bosko saaid: “We resolved to downsize the budget from N188.8 presented by Matawalle to N184,8 billion.

“The capital expenditure takes the sum N86.3 billion while the recurrent expenditure reviewed to N102.5 billion, respectively.”

The lawmaker thanked members, staffers of the house, Ministries of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning and State Revenue Board, media and other stakeholders for their cooperation during the exercise.

The speaker of the house, Nasiru Magarya, commended the committee for timely completion of the exercise.

“Though, the house is in recess but we deemed it necessary to reconvene in an extraordinary sitting so as to pass the appropriation bill into law before the end of the 2022 fiscal year.

“After unanimous agreement of the bill, the Speaker directed the Clerk of the house, Alhaji Shehu Anka to give the bill its third reading,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to Mr Biyabiki, in the same session, the assembly also passed Violence Against Persons Prohibition Bill. (VAPP)

“A private-member bill passed by the house after presentation of the scrutinised report on the bill by the Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs, Kabiru Kwatarkwashi (APC, Bungudu East),” he said.

The speaker further directed that a clean copy of the bill should be transmitted to the state governor for his assent. 

(NAN)