2023 Plateau budget: Admin and Education record highest allocation as tourism, information, and others gained low

Daniel Dauda, Jos

The Plateau state budget allocation for the 2023 fiscal year saw education, administration, health, water resources, finance, rural development, works and transportation sectors recorded appreciable allocation.

However, ministries of tourism, commerce and industries, women, youth and sports development, law, and Justice gained low allocation from the total budget size of N149.9 billion for the year 2023.

Recall Governor Simon Lalong since 29th December 2022 signed the 2023 appropriation bill into law tagged ” budget of infrastructural consolidation and transition.”

Our correspondent learned that the approved 2023 budget estimate is higher than 2022 with over N43.2 billion increase.

Given the 2023 budget breakdown held Thursday at the state Secretariat Jos, the Commissioner Ministry of Budget and economic planning, Dan-Philip Hirkop revealed that the 2023 budget implementation has already taken off in earnest.

He said the budget implementation will be anchored on the three-pillar policy thrust of the Lalong administration.

The commissioner said the administration got N13.2 billion, the education sector had N13.2 billion capital estimate, health N3.7 billion, water resources, energy, and sanitation N14.9 billion.

Other ministries are; the works and transportation sectors N5.9 billion, agriculture and rural development N2.8 billion, lands, housing, and urban development N1.1 billion.

Meanwhile, the Information and Communication Ministry N661.3 million, tourism, culture and Hospitality N100 million, women, youth and sports Development N233.2 million, commerce and Industries N114.6million, Land and Justice N2.1billion, environment and mineral sector N2.1billion as well as the finance and economic sector N7.8billion respectively.

Hirkop charged all ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs to implement the budget according to the principle of budgeting implementation.