Water resources and energy have been given priority attention in Plateau’s N172.5 billion 2020 budget, with the allocation of N15.5 billion.
Governor Simon Lalong made this known while presenting the appropriation bill to the state House of assembly on Tuesday for consideration and passage.
He said the estimates tagged “Budget of rescue and infrastructural consolidation, has an increase of N19.5 billion as against the N153.5 billion for the 2019 fiscal year.
The governor said, “With the gazetting of Water Sector and Energy Corporation Laws to ensure the successful take off of the Plateau Municipal Water Supply Agency (PLAMWASSA) and the Water Sector Regulatory Commission, the ministry is now allocated N15,574,850,000.00, representing 20.92% of the capital budget.”
Lalong said the amount will see to the metering of the Water Board, implementation of open defecation-free programme, partnership Expanded Water Sanitation Hygiene Programme (PEWASH), rural electrification of identified agric hubs, mining and tourist sites as well as the Mangu water project (phase 1) and the Barkin Ladi (Heipang Airport, Polytechnic, Inland Depot) dam project phase1.
The governor said the 2020 proposal has N71.2 billion for recurrent expenditure and N98.1billion for capital expenditure.
The proposal showed that the Ministry of Works and Transport is second in priority allocation with N14 billion; Education is third with N10 billion, while Environment was allocated N7billion.
The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development got N6.9 billion while Health got N4.5 billion in fifth and six places respectively.
According to him, the 2020 budget also captured the new minimum wage and assured that his administration would do everything possible to ensure its implementation.
