Date: 2017-10-30

Ahead of the planned submission of the 2018 budget by the Kwara State Government in November, ministries, agencies and parastatals have started defence of their financial proposal, National Pilot can authoritatively report.

The government in a recent report, had expressed desire to present the budget to the House of Assembly latest November 28 towards its speedy passage in December or early next year.

The move, it was gathered, was to have a proper budgetary system that will put to an end the retrogressive issue of rollover of unavailable and unspent funds at the end of a budgeting year.

According to a highly placed source who confided in this medium on the issue because he was not permitted to speak officially to the press, most ministries and agencies among others have already began the defence of their budget at the Ministry of Finance.

"The state government in its bid to ensure early passage of the 2018 budget has set machinery in place to ensure that everything is done according to plan.

"To this end, the ministries, parastatals and agencies have been busy defending their budget proposals at the Ministry of Finance and the place has been a beehive of activities.

"The plan is to make sure that everything is completed early so that it will not delay the planned submission to the Kwara State House of Assembly hopefully in November.

"Unless we get the budgeting process and timing right, we will continue to have roll-over which is antithetical to the growth of our economy. It is in realisation of this that the federal government is doing the same.

"It is after all those affected have finished their defence that we can put a ceiling to the figure to be budgeted in 2018," the source added.

It was gathered, last night, that some committee chairmen of the Kwara State House of Assembly have been scheduled to meet with government officials in finding a common ground and a way forward in the planned early presentation of the budget proposal.

Recall that the government through the Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Alhaji Wasiu Odewale had rated the performance of the 2017 budget at 68 per cent.

The state government in a related report said it would commit 70 per cent for capital expenditure in the 2018 proposal and end leakages in tertiary education among others.

The state House of Assembly recently passed the 2017 revised appropriation bill of N166 billion in response to the request of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed in his message to the House early October.