Lalong sign budget of approx. N140 billion into law

Governor Simon Lalong has accented to an estimate of N139,494,308,256.00 as the 2017 Appropriate law for Plateau State with an assurance to complete the ongoing projects.

The Governor shortly after signing the Appropriation bill on Wednesday said the budget was prepared to address critical needs of governance aimed at building confidence in government adding that the emphasis on the budget is on the completion of the ongoing projects and initiation of crucial ones, all of which have been streamlined and prioritize from NEEDS assessment.

According to him, the budget tagged “Budget of Rescue and Confidence Building” will build and sustain the confidence of citizens in Government, as well avail them the opportunity of practically assessing the value addition to the process of Governance.

He added that the government through the budget will ameliorate the challenges being faced in all critical sectors of the economy, and provide the avenue for sustainable livelihood for the people.

“The areas of our comparative advantages in a competitive global economy will be enhanced through the implementation of this Budget, as we exploit and explore our natural resource and create a market for all our citizens, who have been be encouraged to productively engage in all the Agricultural Value Chains, and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Programmes put in place.

“Our philosophy of Confidence Building in Government will further be strengthen by strict financial discipline, price intelligence and strategic project implementation, that will check excesses, cut wasteful spending and bloc leakages, so we get the highest and best output out of every intervention we will be making” he said.

The Governor said it was in the light of this that his administration engaged the zero budgeting model to ensure that projected expenditures are prioritized on a scale of preference, and made to match with projected revenue inflows and receipts.

Governor Lalong said with the signing of the Appropriation Bill into law, all is now set for the aggressive mobilisation and mopping up of all revenues that are derivable from every revenue yielding source across all sectors of the economy and the application of same appropriately.

He called on all critical stakeholders within the budget implementation chain in government to ensure that the budget is implemented with strict fiscal discipline.