Ikpeazu Targets Infrastructure, Healthcare, Others As He Presents N147. 7bn 2022 Budget Estimate

Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu on Tuesday presented a 2022 budget estimate of N147,787,781,300 (One Hundred and Forty-Seven Billion, Seven Hundred and Eighty Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty-One Thousand, Three Hundred Naira only to the State House of Assembly.

This is an increase of 10.81% from the 2021 Budget which was N131,815,753,720 (One Hundred and Thirty-One Billion, Eight Hundred and Fifteen Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Three Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twenty Naira) only.

Christened budget of “Economic Recovery through Industrialization and Inclusive Growth” the governor while presenting the budget estimate to the Assembly during plenary said the decision to choose this theme is borne out of understanding that sustainable growth and development is hinged on industrialization.

According to the governor, the whole world battles to recover from the recession occasioned by the outbreak of the COVID-19 and the associated challenges that have plagued the global economic system over the last 2 years.

He said the state government understands the opportunity to take advantage of the industrial acumen of the average Abian.

He highlighted key focus of the budget to include, education, healthcare delivery, infrastructure and more.

He said the state intends to, “Sustain and improve on investment in education, healthcare and social welfare to ensure Abia residents are healthy, productive and competitive in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Foster the security of lives and property by targeting the roots of intolerance, communal violence, crime and other potential sources of insecurity.

“Continue to promote good governance systems founded on competent and responsive public service with zero tolerance for corruption.

“Rebuild, maintain, and expand infrastructure in water, electricity and road networks to accelerate economic growth and create jobs.

“Promote agriculture and food security through greater access to inputs and access roads. Support emphasis on agriculture as a source of wealth creation and capital formation in its own right.

“Continue to engage Ease of Doing Business platforms to support trade and investment, industry and SMEs, remove obstacles to investment and help the Abia business to find and exploit opportunities.

“Ensure full operational activities at Enyimba Automated Shoe Factory Aba and other factories.

“Remodel key markets in Aba”.