Plateau budgets N.44bn for plates, spoons for new govt house

With barely six months to the end of the administration, the Plateau State Government has sent a supplementary budget of N23.4bn to the State House of Assembly for consideration and approval.

In the proposed budget, according to the estimates obtained from the State House of Assembly on Thursday, supply and fixing of curtains, blinds, customised cutleries and other items at the new government House will be awarded to a foreign firm at the cost of N442,289,600.

Road networks, purchase of official vehicles, and other projects at the new Government House at Little Rayfield, are also expected to gulp N4.2bn.

Other items to be covered by the supplementary budget, are procurement of a Toyota Land Cruiser model vehicle for the Chief Judge of Plateau State at the cost of N25,625,675.68 and also the purchase of a Toyota Corolla for the Chief Registrar, Plateau State judiciary at the cost of N7,545,398,68.

Also the completion of existing road projects all over the state, Office of SSG at the new government house and provision of infrastructure and office equipment at the new office of the Board of Internal Revenue is expected to gulp N13bn, while N1.5bn was budgeted to the State Water board

The rest of the estimates computed and collated from all ministries, agencies and departments of government were put at N12,400,979,524.

Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Olivia Dazem, said the budget was born out of the need to complete existing projects before the exit of the current administration.

According to her, “In view of the need to meet additional developmental efforts of the present administration in project execution, a supplementary budget in respect of some ministries, agencies and departments have become very necessary.

She said all the estimates were carefully and realistically computed and duly considered by the state executive council, adding that priority areas were given adequate attention in the proposed supplementary budget.