Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf yesterday presented his maiden budget of N350 billion for 2024 to the State House of Assembly.
The “Budget of Restoration and Transformation” according to the governor is in fulfilment of the campaign promises he made to people of the state.
Governor Yusuf said the budget would fund the seven cardinals of his administration that include human capital development, promoting welfare, providing security of lives and property and infrastructure development. Others are food security and creation of job opportunities.
He stated that 62 percent of the budget would fund the capital expenditure while 38 percent would fund recurrent expenditure in the coming financial year.
Education gets the highest budget allocation of 29.9 percent with N95.4 billion, out of which N38.8 billion will be spent on higher education in the state.
The health sector is the second highest with N51.4 billion and is consistent with the Abuja declaration of 15 percent of budgetary allocation to the sector by governments in the country.
General Administration gets N45.1 billion, while Works and Housing is allotted N40.4 billion in the 2024 budget.
Other sectors include, agriculture N11 billion, security, law and justice N11 billion, water resources N13.4 billion, rural and community development N5.3 billion and women, youths, sports and disabled persons get N8.9 billion.
Manufacturing, industry, commerce and tourism will receive N3.5 billion while environment is allotted N8.1 billion.
Receiving the budget on behalf of the assembly, the speaker, Jibril Ismaila Falgori, assured the governor that the Assembly would continue to provide the needed support for the state government in its effort to provide dividends of democracy for the people.
He promised that the assembly would ensure that it passes the budget before the end of 2023 to enable its commencement by January 2024.
The speaker called on the state government to consider including the renovation of the assembly structure in its 2025 budget.