Niger Governor Presents N238 Billion 2023 Budget To State Assembly

Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has presented a N238,924,457,782.47 2023 Appropriation Bill themed ‘Budget of Consolidation and Transition’, before the State Assembly.

The 2023 Budget, which is 2,96 per cent higher than the 2022 appropriation, is made up of N91,044,745,351.31 or 38.11% recurrent expenditure while N147,879,712,431.16 or 61.89% is proposed for capital expenditure.

Sani Bello stated that the Fiscal Estimate is designed to consolidate its past achievements in moving the state forward and called on the incoming administration to seriously explore the abundant opportunities available in agriculture, tourism, and mineral resources to boost the state’s internal revenue.

While emphasizing on the need to look inward to grow the state’s economy, the Governor reiterated the necessity for the review of its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

He stressed that attention would be given to infrastructural development to attract private sector investment to enhance earnings.

In this regard, the Economic Sector has the highest estimate of N98,786,069,351.92 or 66.80%  of the capital expenditure. The social sector is earmarked N38,442,105,896.73 (26.00%), Administrative Sector has N9,326,537,182.51 or 6.30% while the Law and Justice Sector gets N1,325,000,000.00 representing 0.90%.

The Governor stated that the administration will continue to support farmers and boost agricultural productivity in view of the sector’s obvious, strategic importance as the major occupation of the state’s teeming population and the backbone of its economy.

“We will intensify effort to complete the Bobi Grazing Reserve and revamp others.

"As a potential source of revenue, the state government will continue to solicit the support of appropriate federal government agencies and private investors to develop our tourism potentials.

"We will also encourage solid minerals development in order to diversify the state’s economy”, he added.

He said the state government will, in the 2023 fiscal year, prioritize the completion of the numerous road projects that have attained 80-90% completion level as well as conclude those already initiated while directing contractors to resume back to their respective sites immediately.