Diri presents 2023 N385bn budget, seeks to rebuild infrastructure damaged by flood

Douye Diri, the governor of Bayelsa, has presented a N385.2 billion appropriation bill for the 2023 fiscal year to the state house of assembly.

Diri made the presentation on Monday.

He said the 2023 budget proposal considered the needs of the people of the state, noting that its compilation was done after an interactive session with stakeholders in September, 2022.

Titled, ‘budget of sustainable growth and reconstruction’, the appropriation bill is expected to be significantly funded by 40 percent from federal allocation receipts, 39 percent from the state’s 13 percent derivation fund, 5 percent internally generated revenue (IGR), 4 percent from grants, and 12 percent from loans.

According to Diri, the budget proposal would take care of the personnel cost estimated at N635 billion, overhead cost at N95 billion, capital expenditure at N167.5 billion, and pension and gratuity which received N14.7 billion allocation.

A breakdown of the funds showed that the ministry of works, infrastructure, education and agriculture received the largest allocation.

The governor said while the ministry of works and infrastructure was allocated N77.9 billion, education received N40.4 billion, and agriculture got N14.1 billion.

The ministries of finance, health, and lands and housing were allocated N13.8 billion, N12.5 billion, and N7.2billion, respectively.

Others include the ministry of information, orientation and strategy — N6.3 billion; local government and community development — N5.7 billion; transport — N5.3billion; youths and sports development — N4.6 billion; trade and investment — N2.8 billion, and Power — N2.5 billion.

Meanwhile, public and debt service was expected to gulp N33.7 billion and a contributory pension of N4.7 billion.

Speaking on the appropriation bill, Diri said the budget made provisions for flood management.

He added that a post-flood management committee has been set up, and will be headed by the deputy governor for “our recovery plan for including but not limited to the reconstructing of damaged infrastructure, food security, and other humanitarian challenges. This is urgently required to enable our people return to normal life”.

“In this budget, provisions will be made for post-flood management. Furthermore, while we continue to engage with the federal government for their intervention, I will establish a special directorate for the management of flood and erosion control, to provide technical guide to flooding, erosion, sustainable development relating to environment and other environmental challenges in our state,” the governor said.

“This 2023 appropriation bill takes into consideration citizens and stakeholders’ inputs which culminated into the public interactive session held in September, to ensure that Bayelsans have the opportunity to contribute their ideas to crafting our shared prosperity, consequently, this proposal is christened the ‘budget of sustainable growth and reconstruction 2023’.

“As at September 30, our income and expenditure performance is put at 70.7 percent for nine months, we have prudently implemented the 2022 ‘budget of sustainable growth’ and made not worthy headway in executing several capital intensive project for the benefit of our people and to the glory of God.

“The popular expression is those who fails to plan, plans to fail, that is why we carefully presents the 2023 budget of growth for reconstruction for your judicious and expeditious consideration.

“Secondly, we will continue to build new physical infrastructure and restore those that have been damaged by the flood for the benefit of our people, and thirdly we will continue to improve our civil service in order to enhance their professionalism.”

On his part, Abraham Ngobere, speaker of the state house of assembly, commended the governor for the ongoing projects at different levels of completion, describing the approaches adopted by the state government as tactical and commendable.