The Kaduna State government is proposing a budget size of about 201,049,213,385.77 naira for its 2018 fiscal year. The budget is made up of recurrent expenditure of personnel and over heads of over 75 billion naira while that of capital expenditure is projected at over a hundred and twenty five billion naira.
The State Commission for Budget and Planning, Sani Abdullahi said the whole budget represents 37.58% of recurrent expenditure 62.42% of capital expenditure.
Micro economic back drop
The Commissioner explained that next year’s budget was prepared against the micro economic back drop of the country emerging from recession with devalued naira, raising inflation rates, high interest rates and continuing low oil prices.
“As for National government, the State has no control over money policy, so our only control to affect the lives of our people is through our budget.
“This is our key fiscal policy tool and our opportunity to insulate our economy from further negative shocks and to turn the tide towards growth and development,” he emphasised.
Mr Abdullahi said that next year’s budget was finished on fiscal target which includes the completion of on-going projects which started from 2016 and 2017 and to also actualise the state development plan and sector plan.
“We are continuing to maintain a 60-40 capital to recurrent ratio and to continue to leverage the private sectors in funding PPPs,” Abdullahi stated.
The Commissioner also mentioned that the State projects would begin next year with about 8 billion Naira in its accounts and an Internally Generated Revenue IGR of about 40.9 billion Naira in 2018.
Statutory Allocation
He noted that Kaduna State government was expecting two billion Naira less from its statutory allocation from the Nigerian Government due to decline in oil price.
The State Governor, Nasiru El-Rufai assured the masses of the completion and payment of arrears of the on-going drainages dug earlier this year.
Governor El- Rufai lamented that problems were encountered by the people that handled the projects but that the management has been changed for completion of the projects.
The 2018 multi year budget is hinged on the 2016 zero Base budget principles and tailored towards actualisation of the development plan 2016-2020.
