JIGAWA’S state Commissioner for Finance Ibrahim Umar, has revealed that the state received a N13.5bn grant from the World Bank’s $750m loan made available to the Federal Government for state governments through the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability Program.
Umar made this known while speaking on the implementation of the Federal Government’s World Bank-assisted SFTAS Programme.
The commissioner stated that Jigawa State had done well in the SFTAS programme and benefitted from the grant of N13.5bn so far in the 2018 and 2019 assessments.
He went on to say that the 2020 assessment would be concluded in February 26 this year, while that of 2021 would be concluded in June of this same year.
The Governor, Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa State, while speaking, blamed the state’s low debt stock to fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability in the application of resources.
Adding that his administration chose not to borrow but cover up leakages and boost internally generated revenue.
“We have the least debt profile in the whole country. We don’t borrow. We try to keep the sustainability of the country,” he said.
Badaru went on to reveal that the SFTAS program had further helped to support the state in implementing a fiscally-transparent, accountable and sustainable governance structure.
Speaking also, SFTAS, Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning, National Program Coordinator, Stephen Okon, described Jigawa as one of the three top states in the implementation of the SFTAS program.
The Deputy National Coordinator, SFTAS, Ali Mohammed, who represented Okon, stated earlier at the introduction of the program, that the current Jigawa administration had initiated a number of program that embodied fiscal discipline.
