GOVERNOR Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has signed the state’s 2022 budget proposal of N278.58b into law at the Government House, Kaduna.
The signed budget allocated N184.53b to capital expenditure and N94.05b to recurrent in a ratio of 66:37.
This was disclosed on Thursday by the Kaduna State Commissioner of Budget and Planning Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Abdullahi, who also said the state is targeting N150b as Internally Generated Revenue in the next two years.
Abdullahi stated this in an interactive session with journalists shortly after the state governor did the signing.
The commissioner also said this could be achieved by expanding the revenue base without increasing tax in the state.
Abdullahi noted that education got 25 percent of the entire budget, while the health sector followed with 14 percent.
He also stated that the state’s urban renewal projects in Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan and other infrastructural projects were slated for completion in 2022.
This is just as he disclosed that the state would be inaugurating a social investment programme with over N4b provided for the vulnerable people across the 23 local government areas of the state.
He said, “Our social protection programme is an area where the governor is very passionate. We are ensuring that people at the bottom are getting something. Next year, it would not be below N24bn because we are expanding our supports in the area through supplemental income.
“In the budget, N7.5bn was budgeted for security in 2022 this includes support for Federal Government agencies and our vigilance service.
“In 2015, our internally generated revenue was N13bn, our salary bill was N30bn. Our target was to earn enough IGR to pay our workers which we have been able to do and yesterday the Governor announced 13th month bonus for our workers.
“Our plan is for Kaduna State workers to earn one of the highest salaries in the country. We have been able to cover our salary bill from our IGR but we are half way into covering our overhead costs as well and we are hoping to cover that in two years.
“Kaduna state would be self sufficient in the next two- four years. Our projection is to raise a minimum of N150bn yearly from the N45 to N50bn that we are raising now.
“We are hoping to close down key infrastructure in the state including the urban renewal projects which is at finishing status in Kaduna, while Zaria and Kafanchan are reaching significant status.”
