By: Onwa Ekor, Calabar
Cross River House of Assembly has passed the Budget Estimates and Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2024.
The new Budget size is 437,876,029,437.51 ( Four hundred and Thirty-seven Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Six Million, Twenty-Nine Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty -Seven Naira, Fifty-one kobo)only.
A breakdown of the budget size indicates that N151, 684,649,487.66 is for Personnel/Overhead Cost, N283,333,644,824.34 for Capital Expenditure and N2,857,735,125.51 is for Statutory Expenditure.
The passage of the Appropriation Bill followed the adoption and approval of the recommendation of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation.
Chairman of the Finance and Appropriation Committee, Hon Cyril James Omini who represents Yakurr 1 state constituency recalled that the State Governor, Prince Bassey Otu, had on Thursday, 18th July 2024, via correspondence addressed to the Speaker, presented the State Estimates and Supplementary Appropriation Bill which was read and laid on the table.
He added that the bill, after passing through the first and second readings was referred to his committee for detailed scrutiny and to report back within three days.
Omini further stated that in the course of carrying out its assignment, the Committee adhered to Orders 64 and 66 of the House Rules.
He said: “This is the first time in about a decade that we would be passing a supplementary Bill as contemplated by the 1999 Constitution ( as altered),” maintaining that “this is so as in recent times the House has been faced with a downward review of each year’s Budget thus resulting in the amendment of the Appropriation Law instead of passing a Supplementary Appropriation Law.”
The Committee Chairman also recalled that the House had earlier passed the 2024 Appropriation Bill approving a budget size of N296,985,531,978.00, adding that, in the course of implementing the budget, some developments arose, including inflation, which necessitated a supplementary Budget.
A majority of the Lawmakers who contributed to the debate commended the Committee for doing a good job within a short time.
The Lawmakers also observed that the State Governor has carried out so many projects in all sectors within just one year of his administration which necessitated the Supplementary Appropriation Bill.
The House had dissolved into the Committee of the Whole where Members deliberated on the Committee’s report.
In his remarks, the Speaker, Rt Hon Elvert Ayambem, expressed gratitude to the Committee for a thorough Job. He noted that all sectors of the state economy have been taken care of before calling for a voice vote after which the Supplementary Budget was passed into Law.
