The Kwara State House of Assembly has called for increased participation
of professionals and members of the public in the budget process of the
State House of Assembly to ensure an all inclusive budget for the
State.
The Speaker Dr. Ali Ahmad made the call in Ilorin on
Tuesday, while speaking during continuation of debate on the general
principles of the State 2017 budget before the Legislature.
Dr
Ahmad explained the 8th legislature under his watch could pass an all
inclusive, workable budget that would meet the needs of the people, only
when relevant stakeholders demonstrate genuine commitment in assisting
lawmakers by making their views known and praised a Don of Al- Hikmah
University for his article on the 2017 budget in the National Pilot
Newspaper.
Dr. Ahmad who assured that the House would reflect
their views on the budget adding that some cabinet members would be
invited to address the legislature on key areas of governance, before
the bill would be . passed into law, to ensure that the budget meets the
yearnings and aspirations of the people of the State.
He
then directed the Chairman House Committee on Agriculture and Water to
get the costing of the reactivation of Afon Water Works, to ensure that
it was captured in this year’s budget to address the acute water problem
confronting the people of the area.
In his submission, a member
representing Kaiama/Kemanji /Wajibe Constituency Hon.Ahmed Ibn Mohammed
said Appropriation Bill in the state should no longer be based on
presumption to ensure that projects initiated for execution under the
budget were priority projects of the benefiting Communities .
He said the construction of 3 kilometre Kaiama/Kemanji road project in
this year’s budget was not the priority project of the people of Kaiama
local Government Area and urged the House to consider allocating funds
for the on going construction of Kaiama/Kisi road Igbeti/Baani rural
road to fast track movement of agricultural products from rural to urban
centre.
Also speaking , a member representing Edu
Constituency Hon.Ishiaku Aliyu Adams who described agriculture as a
means of diversifying the source of funding governance, noted with
displeasure that, Peasant farmers, tractor hiring service and other
agricultural programmes in the State, were not captured in the 2017
Appropriation Bill before the House for passage into law.
He
said the allocation of N133m to the agricultural sector in this year
budget was grossly inadequate to meet the State government’ s policy of
using agriculture to create job opportunities, increased Internally
Generated Revenue and sustaining economics development.
In
his remark, a member representing Afon Constituency Hon.Muhammad
Mobolaji Amosa praised the Senate President and the Speaker for ensuring
the inclusion of Afon/Aboto/Oyo State boundary road in the federal
Government budget.
He equally commended the state Government
for its intention to construct Odo-Ode-Igbotele -Ikotun road this year
and urged the State government to reactive Afon Water Works to
permanently address the acute water problem confronting the people of
the area
Meanwhile, the House has passed 2016 Supplementary
Budget of N111,460,177,598 raised down from N128,109,791,414
representing 12.99%.
