DO YOU KNOW THAT 7 STATES IN NIGERIA CROSSED INTO 2020 WITHOUT BUDGET?

At least six of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja are yet to have a budget for the 2020 fiscal year. This is as the Federal Government succeeded in returning the country to the January to December budget circle this year.

According to Media Dimension, an online news media, The states include Anambra and Ebonyi in the South-East, Niger and the Federal Capital Territory in the North-Central, Adamawa in the North-East, Bayelsa in the South-South and Katsina in the North-West.

MediaDimensions gathered that the N137 billion 2020 Appropriation Bill for Anambra State though passed by the House of Assembly is yet to be signed into law by Governor Willie Obianu.

It is a near similar situation with the 2020 Statutory Budget of the FCT which has not been assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari. The two chambers of the National Assembly passed the budget on December 20 which was their last legislative day in 2019. While the Senate passed the budget in the sum of N273.255 billion, the House of Representatives passed the total of N278.355 billion. The figures must be reconciled at the conference committee before forwarding the budget to the President for his assent.

In Niger State, Governor Abubakar Bello only presented the 2020 Budget to the State House of Assembly on December 10, 2019. Since then nothing has been heard about the N148.211 billion budget of inclusion for sustainable development.

The 2020 budget of N178 billion was also only presented to the Ebonyi State House of Assembly on December 13, 2019 and it has not been passed. In Katsina State, though Governor Aminu Masari laid the 2020 budget of N249 billion before the House of Assembly the state lawmakers are yet to pass the bill.

And in Adamawa State, the N183.36 billion budget also remains a bill. Governor Umaru Fintiri who is a former speaker of the State House of Assembly presented the budget to the state lawmakers on November 26. Though the appropriation bill has been passed, the Governor has not signed it into law.

One state without even a budget proposal for 2020 is Bayelsa State where Governor Seriake Dickson leaves office on February 14 after his second term in office. He had reportedly said while laying the 2019 proposal before the state lawmakers in 2018 that he would not prepare a budget for 2020. He said it should be the job for the new governor and his incoming administration. The Nigerian constitution however makes it mandatory for sitting governors to present the budget for the next fiscal year before the 31st of December of the preceding year.

The other 30 states across the country did join the Federal Government in signing their 2020 budget into law before the end of 2019. The records show that Lagos and Cross River States with budgets of N1.168 trillion and N1.1 trillion respectively have the highest appropriation for 2020.

The states with the lowest budgets in 2020 are Yobe with 108.3 billion, Nasarawa N108.4 billion and Osun with N119.5 billion. Others include Ekiti with N124.7 billion, Gombe with N130.83 billion and Zamfara with N135.4 billion.

It has been observed that only 11 states have budgets above N200 billion. These include Lagos N1.168 trillion, Cross River N1.1 trillion, Akwa Ibom N597.735 billion, Rivers N530.8 billion, Ogun N395.735 billion and Delta N395 billion. Others are Kaduna N259.25 billion, Oyo N213.78 billion, Taraba N213.63 billion, Kano N206.2 billion and Sokoto N202.45 billion.

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