The Rivers state Government is to spend the sum of N410,266,485,090.64 on capital projects for the 2024 fiscal year.
This was contained in the 2024 Appropriation Bill submitted to the Rivers State House of Assembly on Wednesday and signed into law by Governor Siminalaye Fubara, yesterday.
A copy of the budget obtained by The Tide shows that the sum represents 51 percent of the total budget of the expected expenditure in the next financial year.
A sectoral breakdown of the budget reveals that General Administration will take the sum of N161,742,835,256.27, Information and Communications N2,234,273,168,00, while Public Administration takes N13,852,493,641,59.
Furthermore, Financing and Planning will gulp N7,779,818,293.13, Agriculture N20,311,574,254.53, Infrastructure N128,003,540,952.66, Culture and Tourism N1,381,187,049,31, while Commerce and Investment takes N1,787,418,534,40.
The rest are, Education N40,426,441,994,74; Health N30,555,506,748,20; Social Development N10,155,787,127,27, while Environment and Sustainable Development will gulp the sum of #8,449,614,889.98
While presenting the budget, Governor Siminalayi Fubara said the overall policy of the administration are to promote economic development of the state through an inclusive growth, the provision of critical infrastructure to support economic, business and social activities and the creation of enabling environment for private sector led industrialization and job creation.
According to the governor, “We will strive to address the challenges of socio economic inequalities by ensuring improved access to quality and affordable education, health care, water, electricity, housing, social investments , gender improvement and social inclusion
“This accounted for the reasonably high allocation in the 2024 capital budget to infrastructure, education health care, social development, environment and sustainable development and agriculture”
He added, “With the funds, we will build more roads networks, to interconnect the state, rehabilitate, equip, train and Staff all dilapidated primary and secondary schools, build technical and vocational education centres and allocate more funds to our tertiary schools to improve the quality of teaching, learning and research”.
He said further that his government would “rehabilitate, equip and staff dilapidated primary health care facilities, restore, equip and staff our general hospitals complete, equip and staff all five zonal hospitals, implement socially beneficial health care schemes and introduce social investments schemes to fight poverty, social exclusion and gender discrimination.”
The state chief Executive said having recognised the place of the judiciary in the advancement of the rule of law, economic growth and social accountability, the administration has also improved the allocation for the funding of the judiciary, law and justice sector in the budget to achieve effective and speedy dispensation of justice In the State.
He assured that Rivers youths would be provided with the necessary skills and tools they needed to succeed in the 21st century.
Meanwhile, analysts have described the 2024 Rivers State Budget as meeting the needs and aspirations of Rivers people.
A cross sections of analysts who spoke to The Tide on the 2024 State Appropriation Bill said the budget will lift millions of Rivers people out of poverty.
Speaking with The Tide, chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Bori branch, Mr. Joel Didi, said the budget met every legal requirements.
He said for the first time in several years, Rivers people are seeing a budget targeted at improving all sectors of the economy.
Barrister Didi said having taken a keen look at the procedure vis a vis the Appropriation law, every step so far taken by the Governor and House of Assembly was in accordance with the rule of law and also met the purpose for legislative passage of the bill.

By: John Bibor