From Kunle Idowu, Abeokuta

Ogun State House of Assembly has passed the Year 2024 Appropriation Bill of N703,028,013,431.64 earlier presented to it for consideration by Governor Dapo Abiodun.

The Appropriation Bill was presented about four weeks ago, with a review in the capital and recurrent expenditures as well as projected revenue of 18 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The Bill was titled: “A Bill for a Law to authorise the issue and Appropriation of the sum of Seven Hundred and Three Billion, Twenty-Eight Million, Thirteen Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty-One Naira, Sixty-Four Kobo Only from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the Services of Ogun State Government of Nigeria for the Financial Year Ending Thirty-First day of December Two Thousand and Twenty-Four.

The passage of the bill followed the presentation of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation by its Chairman, Hon. Musefiu Lamidi, who subsequently moved the motion for its adoption, seconded by Hon. Damilola Soneye, and was supported by the Whole House through a voice vote.

Consequently, the bill was later read and adopted clause-by-clause by the Committee of Supply, led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo during Thursday’s plenary held at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

According to the report, the first schedule saw the upward review of the recurrent expenditure in the budget proposals of the Ministries of Industry, Trade and Investments; Agriculture, Forestry, Transportation, Community Development and Cooperatives, Rural Development, Culture and Tourism, Education, Science and Technology, as well as TRACE and State Waste Management Authority.

Others that had their recurrent expenditures jacked up are the Bureau of Lands and Survey, State Planning and Development Permit Authority, amongst others.

Therefore, the change led to a reduction in total revenue target of government leading to a downward review from N210.248bn to N198.748bn giving a reduction of N11.5bn, while revenue from the excess crude was jacked up from N3.845bn to N13.845bn resulting in an increment of N10bn, just as capital receipt was moved from N128.372bn to N136.872bn giving an upward review of N8.5bn.

The report also indicated an increment in the proposed expenditures under the second schedule for the Office of Auditors General (State and Local) and Sustainable Development Goals.

The Majority Leader, Yusuf Sheriff moved the motion for the third reading of the bill, seconded by the Minority Leader, Lukman Adeleye and supported by the Whole House through a voice vote, after which the Clerk/Head of Legislative Service, Mr. Deji Adeyemo took the third reading of the bill before the lawmakers.

Responding, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oluomo directed that the clean copy of the Appropriation Bill be transmitted to Governor Abiodun for his assent so that the people of the state would begin to enjoy more democratic dividends from the first day of the next fiscal year.

It would be recalled that Governor Abiodun presented a total of N703,028,013,431.64 as the Year 2024 Appropriation Bill to the state legislature, consistingN415.656bn for capital expenditure, while N287.37bn was to cater for recurrent expenditure.