BREAKING: Plateau Executive Council Approves N15.2bn Supplementary Budget

Eniola Olayemi

The Plateau Executive Council has approved a supplementary budget of N15.2bn, Mr Yakubu Dati, Commissioner for Information and Communication, has disclosed.

Dati told newsmen in Jos that the approval was one of the decisions reached at the council’s meeting presided over by Gov. Simon Lalong.

Giving a breakdown of the budget, Mr Sylvester Wallangko, Commissioner for Economic Planning, said that N6.3 billion was for recurrent expenditure, while N8.9 billion was for capital expenditure.

He said that the monies would be sunk into ongoing projects before the end of the year.

According to him, the approval will be transmitted to the State House of Assembly for passage into law.

“The essence of the supplementary budget is to enable government complete ongoing projects, he explained, adding that the goal was to ensure that no job was abandoned over lack of funds.

Mr Sylvester Wallangko, Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, who also addressed the newsmen, said that the council also approved two bills for the water and energy sectors.

He said that one of the bills was seeking a law to make the Plateau Water Board a commercial entity and give it some level of autonomy.

“Such commercial status will ensure the creation of an agency to take care of water issues outside the greater Jos area,” he said.

He said that the second bill was for the creation of an energy corporation to facilitate the engagement of private hands to develop the enormous energy resources in Plateau.

“Both bills will soon be sent to the House of Assembly,” he said.