From Henry Ibya, Makurdi
Benue State government has disclosed that its N550.1 billion 2025 budget would develop human capital through education, health and poverty alleviation, food security and the digital economy.
Speaking during a budget breakdown yesterday in Makurdi, Director-General of the state Budget Planning Commission, Professor Jerome Andohol said the budget had a recurrent expenditure of N192.5 billion and N357.6 capital expenditure.
Andohol revealed that with N82.5 billion budgeted for education, government intends to construct the Faculty of Engineering at the Benue State University campus, Ihugh at the cost of N15.3 billion, upgrade secondary and technical colleges in the three senatorial zones, build maintenance and purchase furniture in schools across the 23 local government areas at the cost of N4.4 billion, as well as carry out maintenance work across tertiary institutions and the safe school initiative.
He said government would upgrade the general hospital in zone A to a specialist hospital with N968million, purchase medical equipment, drugs and other consumables at the cost of N15.2 billion, rehabilitate and upgrade medical facilities in secondary healthcare centres at N1.3 billion, upgrade and purchase other consumables at the teaching hospital at N7.8 billion, rehabilitate and construct primary healthcare centres via Hope Initiative, construct and purchase equipment in the oncology/cancer centre at BSUTH, renovate and upgrade the state medical stores/pharmacy warehouse at Apir and enhance the nutrition budget across Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.
The director-general also said government would upgrade Makurdi modern market, reconstruct abattoir in North Bank, revitalise BIPC for agricultural market aggregation towards curtailing post-harvest losses, encourage cooperative, trade and investment, establish 12 markets in the three senatorial districts among others.
Under poverty alleviation, he said government would spend N9.1 billion by reinvigorating Benue State Social Investment Agency, offer conditional grants to 10,000 SMEs, institutionalise state operations coordinating unit in charge of the state social register and scale up economic empowerment initiatives of NG cares tagged ‘Alia Cares.’
On security, law and justice, Andohol said government earmarked about N71.8 billion for the purchase of vehicles and security gadgets, as well as support other security agencies, recruit and train Anyam Nyor security personnel, while N110 billion was allocated to the construction of rural and urban roads including the completion of under-pass in Gboko and Makurdi, among others.
