2nd Quarter Budget Performance: Legislators, MDAs commend Gov Nwifuru, DIG over improvement

Government Ministries and institutions in Ebonyi State have commended Governor Francis Nwifuru over improvement in the 2024 State’s second quarter budget performance.

 

The commendation was part of outcome of a mid-year budget performance review session held Monday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.

 

The session was initiated by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room in partnership with Development and Integrity Intervention Goal Foundation, a Civil Society Organization, with support from the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

 

It brought together the State House of Assembly chairman on Public account, members and other legislators in a roundtable with key representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

 

Discussions focused mainly on the current status of fund releases to MDAs with particular reference to the social sectors: Health, Education as well as water, sanitation and hygiene, WASH.

 

Speaking under the health sector, the representatives of the State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Ngbo in Ohaukwu local government area, Daniel Itumo and his counterpart of the College of Nursing and Midwifery in Uburu, Ohaozara, Sampson Okoro said the Governor has brought a lot of relief to the institutions which were grossly starved of fund before now.

 

Itumo explained that his institution since 2007 it was established have not accessed any fund from their budget except under Governor Nwifuru who recently released the sum of N27m to them. He noted that the sum helped them so much in their pursuit for accreditation and expressed optimism that more funds would be released to them soonest.

 

Okoro added: “We were not getting anything before even when we apply.

 

“Today, the Governor has brought a very big relief to us, especially with prompt response.

 

“Within 24 hours, application for funds are attended to.

 

“Out of the N15m recurrent budget approved for us, we have already accessed N5m as the Governor has made it statutory that we would be receiving N1m every month as overhead.

 

“Also, out of N150m approved capital budget, we have accessed N16m so far which we have used judiciously.”

 

Speaking under Education, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics in the Ministry, Emmanuel Agbafor, explained that out of their total approved capital budget of over N8.1 billion, the Governor has approved the release of over N 6.7 billion, part of the fund for the establishment of 39 Model schools across the State, 3 per local government area at N172m each.

 

He added that the sum of over N14.3 m have also been released for schools rehabilitation.

 

Mrs Mary Akam, the Head, Planning, Research and Statistics in the Ministry of Water Resources also said that, out of the Ministry’s approved budget of N1.3 billion, it accessed over N613m in first quarter of 2024.

 

She added that the Governor has also released the sum of over N490m and over N498m respectively, for the ongoing Ivo water scheme and the rehabilitation of the old Abakaliki water scheme.

 

Akam also noted that the approved budget of N200m for the Ebonyi State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency has been released 100 percent.

 

Akam added: “So far so good, we have been having favour from the Governor.

 

“In this second quarter, things have tremendously changed for good.”

 

Others who spoke, including the Executive Secretary, State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr.Philip Ovuoba and the representative of Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency, said a lot of improved performance have been brought into their Agencies, and attributed them to the political will of the Governor and the results of the campaigns by DIG Foundation and other Civil Society Organizations in the State.

 

The Executive Director, DIG Foundation, Oliver Chima Aja had earlier stated that the objectives of the meeting were to offer Heads of MDAs opportunity to interact with the House of Assembly Committee on Public Account on issues affecting them, discuss issues around Budget releases to social sector MDAs as well as address accountability and poor performance issues through Legislative oversight functions.

 

Presenting the 2nd quarter budget performance report as published by the State government, Ajah observed that there were still much gaps in capital budget performance data for most MDAs, especially for Agencies under the Ministries.

 

Taking the capital budget for health, for instance, Ajah observed that the Ministry of Health received added performance of N122m in the 2nd quarter as against N9m of 1st quarter.

 

He however regretted that apart from the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency which received N41,164,312.70 in the 1st quarter representing only 9% of its capital budget of N470m, no other Agency from the publication, under health, including the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency has received anything from their capital budgets.

 

Meanwhile, some participants believed that some releases must have been made after compilation of data for the quarter.

 

In their separate remarks, the Assembly Committee chairman on Public Account, Godwin Abiri and his Health counterpart, Esther Agwu, while commending the Governor, appreciated DIG Foundation for its campaign which has continued to bring to the fore germane issues surrounding the budget and public expenditure of the State.

 

They noted that the advocacy have yielded much results and pledged to employ their oversights, in partnership with the organisation to catalyse further improvements for the good of the State.

 

Abiri said: “We have gained a lot from DIG, and I advise and plead with you to continue doing what you know how to do best.

 

“You have armed us very well to discharge our functions.

 

“Each time we interact with you, we go home better off.”

 

*Photo Caption: The Budget Review session.