Gombe Lawmakers Pass N208bn 2024 Budget

The Gombe State House of Assembly has passed the state’s 2024 budget estimate of N208.064bn.

The PUNCH reports that the budget reflects an increase of N300m as against the N207.750bn earlier submitted by the state governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Yahaya.

A statement signed by the Chief Information Officer of the House, Mr Umaru Ma’aji, on Wednesday contained the breakdown of the budget estimate.

The Speaker of the House, Abubakar Luggerewo, as quoted in the statement, thanked the lawmakers for their support, cooperation and the manner with which the appropriation bill was handled.

Presenting the report of its committee, the Chairman, Appropriation Committee, Alhaji Aliyu Manu, representing Gombe North said his committee observed that most of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies’ budget officers were not conversant with the budget provisions which is guided by Medium Term Expenditure Framework.

“Therefore we recommend that henceforth budget office should transmit executive council’s approved budget to ministries and as well as consider and approved N208, 064,000,000.00, as total budget size of Gombe state,” the statement partly read.

Ma’aji said the 2024 budget, tagged ‘Budget of Continuity and Consolidation’ focus on completion of all ongoing projects starting from the first tenure of the present governor, adding that 43 per cent of the budget goes to economic sector while 11 per cent goes to social sector .

He added, “After a clause by clause consideration by the Speaker, Abubakar Luggerewo, at the committee of the whole and contributions by the members, the bill was read for the third time and passed into law.”

Luggerewo lauded his colleagues for the support and cooperation given to the committee members.

Meanwhile, the House has passed a resolution to write a letter of reminder to members of the National Assembly representing Gombe North to do a follow up at Federal Ministry of Works on the dilapidated road condition of Gombe Funakaye – Nafada Road which has been previously awarded but not funded.

Presenting his committee’s report to this effect, the Chairman, House Committee on Works and Transportation, Mustapha Hassan, said his committee has interacted with Federal Ministry of Works Area Office Gombe, FERMA and State Ministry of Works and Transportation where they found out that the project was captured in the 2024 budget of the Federal Government.