The Ekiti State House of Assembly Friday passed the state’s revised 2020 appropriation bill of N91.1 billion.
The new budget is N33.6 billion lower than the previous one.
The assembly had earlier passed the 2020 appropriation bill of N124.7 billion before the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
The second passage of the bill followed the considerations of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation at the plenary presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Funminiyi Afuye.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Mrs. Olubunmi Adelugba, while submitting the committee’s report, said the downward review of the 2020 budget became necessary due to present economic realities occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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She said: “This is due to the current COVID-19 pandemic which has threatened the full implementation of the state’s 2020 budget as revenue from crude oil, a major source of revenue to Ekiti, has reduced.
“With the present economic realities, there is need to review the 2020 budget earlier passed.”
A breakdown of the appropriation showed that recurrent expenditure of the reviewed appropriation was downsized from N71.1 billion to N59.1 billion, while capital expenditure was reduced from N53.5 billion to N32.1 billion.
In his remarks, the speaker stressed the need to face the realities on the ground to ensure that the government’s positive impact was felt through achievable interventions and programmes.
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