2024 budget ‘ll reverse shamble situations in Zamfara — Commissioner
Zamfara Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Abdulmalik Abubakar-Gajam, has said the 2024 Rescue Budget is designed to emancipate the state from shambles and chaotic situations.
Abubakar-Gajam made the remark in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of International Youth Day Commemoration on Thursday in Sokoto.
The commissioner, who is also the Chairman of Zamfara Economic Planning Board, said the state had no working document and implementable fiscal policy until when Gov. Dauda Lawal assumed duty as the Governor.
He explained that the state lacked policy law that would guide the state government activities, no roadmap for the rising population to promote quality future from the immediate past administration.
The commissioner stressed that the present ”Rescue Budget” was intentional and strategic to reverse the anomaly, to provide portable water to citizens, deal with security challenges and reduce debt burden.
Abubakar-Gajam noted that the present administration had paid about N20 billion loan inherited from the past regime and did not collect any, “this is just to salvage the state from burden.”
He highlighted that the present budget “is three times bigger than the past” due to increased internally generated revenue as well the fuel subsidy removal windows.
”Within the short period performance, present government has achieved 90 pet cent success of the targeted projections.
”This is the first time Zamfara designed its budget on Medium Term Expenditure Framework (M-TEF) model to apprise performance, to ensure prudence and accountability.
”This is the first time also to accommodate community inputs on budget formulation as we visited 14 LGAs, marrying intended government policies with people demands for a better society, ” Abubakar-Gajam said.
According to him, earlier, the state had ineffective agricultural programmes, non functional health facilities with absence of manpower, expertise and infrastructure.
He observed that in the past budgets, recurrent expenditure garnered high percentage meaning that spending more on luxuries, which add no value to economic growth, thereby experienced low allocation to capital expenditure.
The commissioner added that the past government spent higher than what it was receiving from the federation account and its internally generated revenue.
He explained that the Zamfara Economic Planning Board was developing and implementing economic policies and plans to promote sustainable development and growth in the state.
“It is expected to play a key role in driving economic progress and prosperity in the region,” he said.
He added that the present administration in the state since its inception ensured that all its expenditure were in line with the interest of the people of the state. (NAN)