Gov Ahmed sign 2014 budget into law

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed on Monday signed into law 2014 Appropriation Bill of N130,262,850,907 with a pledge that it will provide new vistas for confronting developmental

challenges in the State.

Governor Ahmed noted that the 2014 budget with the theme “Budget of Expansion for Inclusive Prosperity”, provides “a blueprint for building major new projects to put more money in people’s pockets, get more youths into work, remodel additional hospitals and build more schools and roads”.

The Governor, who commended the State legislature for the foresight in increasing the budget size by five percent from N124, 525,957,133 to N130, 262,850,907, explained that the increase accommodates “the delays in securing the proposed N30b bond and an internal term loan of N5b for social-economic capital projects”.

Governor Ahmed expressed the hope that the increase in the 2014 budget will not suffer the resource challenges that curtailed the government’s capacity to translate all the targets of the 2014 budget into reality, adding that “the bonds and other measures in the budget will enable his administration generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, significantly transform our state and create new windows of economic opportunities for all levels of entrepreneurship”.

The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Rasaq Atunwa in his speech said the 2004 Appropriate was prepared in line with International best practices in accounting procedure.

“Kwara State, by this has keyed in into the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) which is anchored on transparency and accountability in governance”, he said.

Atunwa charged Governor Ahmed to keep faith with the budget as passed by ensuring its implementation especially in the critical area of youth employment and empowerment.

He stressed that the 2014 appropriation law will “no doubt enable Kwarans and lovers of Kwara to witness another year of upgrading general infrastructure that would sufficiently attract and further encourage private sector-led growth and development of the State”.