The Plateau government is to spend N75.9 billion on recurrent expenditure in 2018, according to Alhaji Sani Yahaya, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance.

Yahaya, who gave a breakdown of the state’s N146 billion budget on Thursday in Jos, said that N70.1bn would go into capital expenditure.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Governor Simon Lalong signed the appropriation bill into law last week.

Yahaya said: “We intend to sink 51.9 per cent of the total amount into recurrent expenditure; personnel cost will gulp N26.8 billion, overhead, N30.1 billion, while consolidated revenue fund charges is N19 billion.”

According to him, the N70.5 billion voted for capital expenditure would be used to complete old projects and initiate new ones.

He explained that the works and transport ministry would take N18.8 billion, representing 26.71 per cent of the capital estimate, saying that the construction of Maraban Jama’a-British American Junction road would cost N1.2 billion.

Yahaya said that N11.9 billion, representing 16.92 per cent, would go to the education sector with a large chunk of it going into renovating and constructing secondary schools.

According to him, infrastructure would be provided to tertiary institutions with Plateau State University, Bokkos taking N5.5 billion, while Plateau Polytechnic would get N892 million.

The permanent secretary said that the health sector would gulp N4.3 billion with emphasis on procurement of medical equipment and furnishing of hospitals.

count | 72

Plateau Earmarks N75.9b For Recurrent, N70.1b For Capital Expenditure