Okowa signs 2018 appropriation, salary bills into law

By Amaechi Okwara

Asaba

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state, yesterday, signed the state’s 2018 appropriation bill of N308 billion into law, with an assurance that his administration will ensure full implementation of the fiscal estimates.
Speaker of the state Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, accompanied by his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi and other principal officers of the legislature, presented the appropriation bill to the governor at at the Government House, Asaba.
Oborevwori presented the Delta State Remunerations, Salaries, Allowances, Gratuities and Pensions of Certain Public Office Holders and Bodies Amendment Bill 2017 which was also signed into law by the governor.
Governor Okowa, who lauded the synergy existing among the three arms of government in the state, especially, between the executive and the legislature, described the budget as “realistic and realisable.”
Throwing more light on the budget, Okowa asserted, “The budget is N308 billion and we are happy that the provision for the capital expenditure is more than what was provided for in the recurrent expenditure.”
He used the occasion to take a swipe on those alleging that his administration has not implemented budget, observing that the state Assembly is made of men of honour and integrity and that details of the budget could be received through the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning.
The governor reiterated that his administration could not be derailed by propagandists, noting that most youths of the state through the job creation office, have become wealth creators while more persons will be empowered in the 2018 fiscal year through the office.
Okowa had on the 19th of October, presented a 2018 budget proposal of N298 billion but the House of Assembly raised it by N10 billion.

Leave a Reply