Ekiti House of Assembly has passed the state’s 2020 revised appropriation bill of N91.1 billion which is N33.6 billion lower than the previous appropriation.
The assembly had earlier passed the 2020 appropriation of N124.7 billion, before the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The second passage followed considerations of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation at Friday’s plenary, presided over by the Speaker, Mr Funminiyi Afuye.
Mrs Olubunmi Adelugba, Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, 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.
“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,” Adelugba said.
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 ground to ensure that government’s positive impact was felt through achievable interventions and programmes.(NAN)
