Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed has furnished the state House of Assembly with a sum of ₦465.855 billion as the budget proposal for the 2025 fiscal year.
With an 18 per cent increase from the 2024 appropriation, the proposed budget reflects what the governor described as a response to reforms and inflationary trends impacting sectors across the country.
The governor said the 2024 budget had been implemented up to 80 percent adding that the hike in the 2025 Appropriation Bill is due to reforms and the upward inflationary trends affecting all sectors in the federation.
Muhammed allocated the sum of ₦166.938 billion to social sector, while education, healthcare, and welfare and justice sectors gulped ₦9.578 billion.
He promised to complete ongoing projects and noted of his administration’s commitment to initiating new ones to address critical needs and deliver immediate impact.
The budget, according to Muhammed, prioritises the implementation of the new minimum wage, contributory pension scheme, and adherence to budgetary guidelines.
He stated that for the Appropriation Bill to ensure inclusivity, public hearings were conducted across the three senatorial zones, adding that incorporating stakeholder inputs and adopting the community charter of demand to address grassroots needs is of greater essence.
The governor charged the lawmakers to fastrack the budget’s passage to facilitate the timely implementation of its programmes and projects.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the state assembly, Abubakar Sulaiman, commended the executive for the timely submission of the budget proposal.
He promised to ensure timely consideration and approval of the budget proposal.