The Benue State House of Assembly has passed the 2024 supplementary appropriation bill of N170,894,473,135 into law. The bill was approved during a plenary session led by Speaker Mr. Hyacinth Dajoh, following a detailed examination.
The new total fiscal estimate for 2024 now stands at N396,621,868,343, increasing from the initially approved budget of N225,727,395,206.97. This adjustment raises the 2024 recurrent expenditure by N10,586,740,000 to N155,647,410,359, while the capital expenditure remains unchanged at N240,974,457,983.
Mr. Cephas Dyako, Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Appropriation, noted additional budgetary spending on recurrent expenditure and overheads by public sector entities. He mentioned that many ministries, departments, and agencies had underperformed due to delays in fund releases.
The House urged the Benue State Budget and Planning Commission to consult public sector entities before revising the budget to incorporate their input. They also called on the Ministry of Finance to ensure timely release of funds to enhance performance and recommended that the State government ensure proper role definitions for agencies to avoid conflicts affecting budget management.
The bill was read for the third time by Clerk of the House, Mr. Bernard Nule, and was officially passed into law.