Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has assented to the 2025 Appropriation Bill with an outlay of Seven Hundred and Fifty Billion, Two Hundred and Eighty-Two Million, Two Hundred Thousand Naira (750,282, 200,000) only
Performing the ceremony, Governor Otti commended the lawmakers for giving the bill an accelerated hearing and passage, pointing out that the budget would give his administration strength to continually deliver on its promises to Abians.
“We pride ourselves as a serious-minded government, so anything we present, we are ready for scrutiny, and I want to thank you for a great job you did in scrutinizing the budget, disagreeing in a few areas, and also being flexible enough to accept when reasonable responses are given,” Otti stated.
Governor Otti explained that the budget demonstrates his push for infrastructural development having allocated 82% of the entire budget to capital expenditures.
He reiterated that he dedicated about 82 percent of the total envelope to capital expenditure and only 18 percent to recurrent expenditure despite the challenges of higher wages occasioned by the implementation of the new national minimum wage and regular payment of pensions.
The Governor assured that some of the projects that kicked off in 2023 including Port Harcourt road in Aba, Umuahia – Uzuakoli -Abiriba – Ohafia road, the Ohafia – Arochukwu to the boundary in Ini, the Okobo -Abam- road, the Omenuko bridge, Nunya road and all other roads that have been awarded or flagged off among other projects including hospitals and schools would be delivered in 2025
The Governor, who said that the budget is a budget of sustained momentum, maintained that the government is deliberate in tagging the budget so because it is the second budget the present administration is rolling out.
Presenting the budget to the Governor earlier, the speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa assured that the lawmakers would continue to work with the executive arm of the government for the good of the State, stressing that with the budget, Abia would continue to grow from strength to strength.
