Yar’Adua Proposes N4trn 2010 Budget

L-R: Chairman, Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ) Rivers State Council, Mr Opaka Dokubo, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Information, Dr Godwin Mpi, representing the Commissioner, Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Manela Izuwo, representing wife of the state governor, and wife of NUJ chairman, Mrs Sogbeba Dokubo at the Church Service to mark 2009 Rivers NUJ Press Week, at St. Cyprian’s Anglican Church, Port Harcourt, last Sunday. Photo: Chris Monyanaga.

President Umaru Musa Yaradua has presented a budget proposal of Four Trillion seventy Nine billion, six hundred and fifty four million, seven hundred and twenty four thousand, two hundred and fifty seven naira (N4,079,654,724,257.00) for the year ending December 2010 to the Senate and the House of Representatives separately.

Of the said amount, the 2010 appropriation Bill which was presented by the special adviser to the president on National Assembly , Senator Abba Aji on behalf of President Umaru Musa Yaradua has stipulated one hundred and eighty billion, two hundred and seventy nine million, one hundred and fifty eight thousand ,nine hundred and ninety four naira (N180,279,158,994) only for statutory transfers, five hundred and seventeen billion , seventy one million, eight hundred and twenty seven thousand four hundred and fifty two naira(N517,079,827,452) is mapped out for Debt services.

Reccurrent expenditure has a vote of two trillion, eleven billion, four hundred and eighty four million, three hundred and seventy thousand, eight hundred and twenty five naira (2,011,484,370,825)while the balance of one trillion, three hundred and seventy billion, eight hundred and ninety million, three hundred and sixty six thousand , nine hundred and eighty six naira only(1,370,819,366,986.00) is for capital expenditure.

Within the N180,279158,994.00, allocated to statutory transfers, the Niger Delta Development Commission got an allocation of N35, 646,771,198.00.

Further breakdown of the recurrent expenditure captures an allocation of three billion, one hundred and thirty million, five hundred and forty six thousand, five hundred and one hundred naira to the infant ministry of Niger Delta while the ministry got a share of sixty one billion, two hundred and eighty eight million, eight hundred and sixty eight thousand, nine hundred naira as capital expenditure vote.

By the budget proposal, Mr President has projected an expenditure of N38,916,496,647.00 for servicing of foreign debts while local debts is to take about N478, 155,330,805.00 within the year.

Within the capital expenditure, the ministry of works , housing and urban development has the highest vote of N221, 305,748,561.00. Education got an allocation of N53,667,933,553.00 while power got a proposed allocation of N153,207,074,322.00.

The 2010 Appropriation Bill for the first time since Nigeria’s democracy was laid separately at the two chambers of the National Assembly.

It will be recalled that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had to put off the presentation of the address to a joint sitting of the National Assembly last week on account of unresolved misunderstanding between the two chambers of the national assembly.

Although the leaders of both the Senate and House of Representatives kept sealed lips about details of the rancour, ominous signs of disaffection between the two arms of the assembly emerged during the aborted session recently when the two chambers engaged two seperate army bands to offer ceremonial air as is traditional at such times.

The Tide correspondent in Abuja gathered that a joint sitting was impossible because unlike yesteryears some senators refused a joint sitting at the House chambers instead of the Senate.

Nneka Amaechi- Nnadi, Abuja