By Henry Ibya, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has presented the 2025 budget estimate, of N160.7 billion, to the Benue State House of Assembly.
He said the budget is aimed at driving sustainable development and improving the lives of all citizens.
The budget, christened “Budget of Human Capital Development, Food Security and Digital Economy” Alia maintained is designed to address the state’s socio-economic challenges, promote economic growth, and enhance the overall well-being of Benue residents.
According to the budget breakdown, the recurrent expenditure stands at N83.6 billion, while the capital expenditure is N77.1 billion, adding that debt servicing will total N13.4 billion.
Governor Alia further revealed that his administration has prioritized key sectors, including education, healthcare, infrastructure, and agriculture, to drive development and growth, allocating N24.8 billion to Education, N13.2 billion to healthcare,N20.5 billion to infrastructure and N10.3 billion to Agriculture respectively.
He explained that the education sector received a substantial allocation, with a focus on renovating and constructing new schools, providing educational materials, and training teachers with the healthcare sector also receiving a significant boost, with allocations for the renovation and equipping of hospitals, recruitment of medical personnel, and provision of essential drugs.
The Governor during the budget presentation also announced that the 2025 appropriation bill will include provision for youth empowerment, job creation and social welfare programmes, stressing that it will serve as a demonstration to his administration’s commitment to the welfare of Benue people.
Governor Alia during the occasion equally, assured Benue people that his administration would always remain committed to transparency, accountability and prudent management of resources, to ensure that the budget is implemented efficiently and very effectively.
Responding, Speaker of the Benue Assembly, Aondona Dajo, assured the governor that the house will go through the document with the view to give it an accelerated passage.
Some Benue people who spoke with our correspondent including Joseph Asua, commended Governor Alia for forwarding the 2025 budget estimate on time, describing the move as a bold step towards achieving sustainable development and economic growth of the State.
He expressed optimism that the budget would create a positive impact on the lives of Benue people when implemented and called for support of all and sundry to enable the government provide good governance to the people.
