Why we passed supplementary budget of N206 billion in Taraba – State Assembly

Members of the Taraba State House of Assembly have broken their silence over the passage of the state government’s N206 billion supplementary budget 2023 request.

Passing the supplementary budget on Friday the lawmakers said they unanimously took the decision owing to the paucity of funds facing the incumbent state government.

The Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, had earlier approached the House for the approval of loans from four commercial banks to enable him embark on projects that would tell positively on the livelihood of the people.

Governor Kefas had claimed the loans would be used to fund education, security, digital economy, women affairs, agriculture, infrastructure, and waste management, among others.

He said the loans will be obtained from four commercial banks including Zenith, Keystone, United Bank for Africa, UBA and Fidelity Bank.

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The members not only granted the governor approval to access the loan but also passed into law the supplementary budget.

Given the reason for the immediate passage, the Speaker of the State Assembly, John Kizito Bonzena, said the financial difficulties left by the previous administration necessitated their collective actions.

He, however, said the loan will be monitored by the members of the Assembly, through oversight functions, believing that the funds would be judiciously used by the state’s executive arm.

Also speaking, the member representing Mbamnga constituency, Abel Peter Diah, who alleged that the state was plugged into penury by the former administration, said the loan would go a long way to attract growth to the rural communities in the entire axis of the state.

Aligning his weight to that of Diah, the House Majority Leader, Yakubu Jethro, said it has become necessary for the members to throw their weights behind the number one citizen of the state.

Also on his part, the member representing Ngoruje constituency, Nelson Len, said the loans, if well expended, would go a long way to clean the tears on the faces of the people of the state.

The supplementary budget christened ” the Taraba State Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2023,” has a capital expenditure of over N196 billion and recurrent expenditure of over N10 billion.