TheCable

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, has presented the state’s 2023 budget to the house of assembly.

According to a statement by the Kaduna government, the 2023 appropriation bill of N370 billion is a 21.82 percent increase from the 2022 revised budget of N303.99 billion.

Giving a breakdown of the budget, el-Rufai said the sum of N242.21 billion is proposed as capital expenditure, and N127.7 billion as recurrent expenses.

“The capital to recurrent ratio of 65.5% to 34.48% reflects our consistent commitment to investment over consumption,” he said.

The governor said the 2023 estimates maintain focus on human capital development, adding that “our proposal allocates 45.34% of the budget to education and health”.

According to him, the allocations of 29 percent to the education sector and 16.05 percent to health leave no doubt about his administration’s commitment to human capital development.

“The 2023 budget estimates make provisions for continued pro-poor interventions in nutrition, health care, skills acquisition and empowerment funds for women, youths, and vulnerable groups,” he added.

“Along with provisions for the Social Investment Programme, these pro-poor interventions are costed at N11.32bn, representing about 3% of the proposed budget size.”

The governor noted that the proposed budget estimates assume that crude oil prices will stabilise around $70 per barrel and that the official exchange rate will be around N435.57 to the dollar.

“Uncertainties persist in the global economy. Promising signs of a sustained recovery from Covid-19 have been replaced by fears of inflation and recession in the major economies,” he said.

“This economic climate may affect demand for Nigeria’s main export, petroleum, with consequences for the exchange rate, prices and general economic performance.”

El-Rufai told the legislators that the final budget concludes eight years of determined effort to make lives better by putting people first.

“We have implemented empowerment policies, respecting people enough to free them from dependence on those who insert themselves between the treasury and the people,” he said.

“We have diligently sought to promote equal opportunity, improve human capital development, build infrastructure, attract new businesses, support existing ones and run a system that promotes the ease of doing business.

“We have reformed government, while celebrating what was good in the past, honouring people and completing inherited projects. We have done our best amidst the continuum that disciplined governance should be.”

While thanking the house of assembly for its cooperation, the governor noted that the journey has had “smooth phases as well as rough junctions”.

According to him, the relationship with the assembly has “been sustained in sadness and joy by faith and our commitment to our sacred oath to do our best for the people of Kaduna state”.

“We have sent many executive bills over the last seven years, and this house has commendably discharged its duty of enacting vital legislation,” he added.

The governor, who noted that this was his last time to present the draft budget, expressed “the gratitude of the government for the 140 laws so far enacted by this house”.

“We are proud of our record of governance. We have charted a new path forward. We will be leaving it to our successors to further extend, build on and expand our efforts to deliver progressive outcomes for our people,” he said.

“The roadmap is clear, anchored on the state development plan and a relentless focus on robust policies and capacity to implement through an efficient public service.”