Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara State has presented a budget of N296.4bn tagged “Budget of Economic Expansion and Collective Prosperity to the state assembly.
The governor at the presentation of the budget said, “Today, I laid before the state parliament the budget of economic expansion and collective prosperity, a N296.4bn fiscal plan for the year 2024.
“The budget has an opening balance of N25bn. The capital expenditure takes the lion share of N180.0bn, representing 61% of the total fiscal plan, while the recurrent component gets N116bn, or 39%.
“Together with the parliament in four years, we brought socioeconomic and political stability to our state and restored the dignity of the human person. We have redefined public education in human resource and infrastructure, basic healthcare delivery, social security, public service, rural development, sports and recreational development, while measurable steps have been taken to make Kwara a hub of innovation, creativity, and viable economic activities in Nigeria.
“The next four years will serve to consolidate on the gains of our first term, expand the economic base of our lovely state through completion of ongoing infrastructure projects and commencement of new ones, make the state more self-sustaining by widening the revenue base, create more private sector-driven jobs, and better the lots of our people.
“In the new year, we will formally inaugurate our flagship projects like the garment factory, visual arts centre, Tunde Idiagbon bridge, innovation hub, sugar film factory, the two campuses of Kwara State University, sheabutter factory in Kaiama, among others. These, in shaa Allaah, will create tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the new year, and spread collective prosperity on a sustainable basis.
“Our fiscal plan will prioritise the completion and unveiling of several of our legacy projects, and introduction of a few other ones that centre around the welfare of the people. The Ilorin Capital City Master Plan will officially produce what we call Ilorin Smart City Satellite Town, which will cover an area estimated at 18,000 hectares. This city is modelled after sustainable, green cities around the world, such as Washington DC. The groundbreaking of this huge project will be done next year, God willing.
“Some other highlights of the fiscal document include the establishment of the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital; Kwara State University of Education; completion of the first phase of the industrial park at Eiyenkorin; MSMEs Support Funds; rehabilitation of Ilesha Baruba Waterworks and others elsewhere in the state; construction of statewide rural access roads through RAAMP; rehabilitation of Isanlu Isin Waterworks and extension of pipes; rehabilitation of Pampo Waterworks and extension of pipes, among others; construction of new wards and expansion of maternity unit at civil service clinic; expansion of 13 hospitals across the state; construction of 250 housing units under the proposed mass housing scheme of the State Government; construction of CBT Centres across the 3 districts; wholesale curriculum revitalisation and training under KwaraLearn; payment of UBEC counterpart funds for 2022 and 2023; and some sports facilities statewide.
“We also covered in the document our preparation for a new minimum wage, which is due for negotiation next year, completion of KWIRS modern headquarters, among other things. We will also begin the implementation of life-changing programmes like the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), livestock development centre at Lata; special agroprocessing zone and L-PRES project, which seeks to provide infrastructure and the environment to curb the conflict between herders and farmers.
“I expressed profound gratitude to the good people of Kwara State who walked with and trusted us with another mandate, and to members of the hallowed chamber, for their understanding, maturity, and love for our state.”
