Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has said the State Executive Council will present a bill for legislation on the 32-year development plan from 2024 to 2056.
Governor Ododo made this known while presenting the 2025 Budget estimate to the Kogi State House of Assembly on Tuesday.
In a statement issued by the special adviser on media to the governor, Ismaila Isah, the governor said providing legislative backing for the 32-year development plan of the Kogi State government is to ensure continuity and consolidation of ongoing development in infrastructure and human capital development, enhancement of the quality of lives and livelihood of people in urban and rural areas.
“As part of our efforts to build a new and prosperous Kogi State, we have developed a 32-year state development plan with the theme ‘Shared Hope and Prosperity’. The document is a comprehensive roadmap designed to transform Kogi State into a thriving, inclusive and sustainable economy,” he stated.
Governor Ododo further said the state development plan is anchored on three pillars: fostering prosperity, building resilience, and providing direction for sustainable development through exceptional innovation, wealth creation, healthcare, and human capital development, established on the foundation of peace and exemplary governance.
He noted the state development plan, which is now operational is in three phases, beginning with its first phase from 2024 to 2033 to lay the foundation for growth with investment in critical infrastructure, human capital development and economic diversification, adding that the phase two and three from 2034 to 2043 and 2043 to 2056 will focus on accelerating economic growth, improving governance and enhancing environmental sustainability; and consolidating on the gains of the earlier phases promoting innovation and ensuring the state remains competitive and attractive for investment.
Meanwhile, the proposed budget estimates presented by the governor to the state Assembly, for the next fiscal year is N584,404,119,489.00 (five hundred and eighty-two billion, four hundred and four million, one hundred and nineteen thousand, four hundred and eighty-nine naira).
The breakdown of the 2025 budget proposal shows that the sum of N302, 813, 903,802 representing 51.99% is allocated for capital expenditure while N279, 590,215,687 representing 48.01% is allocated for recurrent expenditure.
The 2025 budget estimates, christened the budget of consolidation and continuity for inclusive development, are N176, 82,989,476 higher than the 2024 revised budget, representing a 43.34% increase from the 2024 budget.
The allocation to sectors indicates that the sum of N120, 047, 367,416 naira which is 20.61%, is allocated to administration; N227, 820,142,196 naira which is 39.12%, is allocated to economic matters; N23,754,514,351 naira which is 4.08% is allocated to law and Justice, and N210,782,095,526 which is 36.19% is allocated to social services, bringing the total to N582,404,119,489 naira as the 2025 budget proposal presented to the state House of Assembly.
Governor Ododo also outlined the policy direction of the 2025 budget proposal anchored on the state’s fiscal strategy and its Public Financial Management Reform to include improvements in efficiency and effectiveness of spending, greater control of the state wage bill, boosting revenue generation by identifying and blocking leakages and directing capital expenditure to critical infrastructure such as road, housing, education, health, and other thematic areas of job creation, youth engagement, infrastructure, and utilities, public sector and pension reforms.
The governor noted that the objective of the 2025 budget is to improve the quality of education at all levels, improve access to healthcare, ensure food security, expand trade and commerce, create opportunities for youth development, improve road networks in urban and rural areas, and improve the quantity, quality, and access to safe water, among other things.
The Kogi State governor further noted that the key goals of the 2025 budget are to boost internally generated revenue, pursue debt repayment, foster a conducive business environment, encourage public-private partnerships, block wastages and leakages in revenue streams, and prioritise the completion of ongoing projects and programmes while introducing new critical projects aligned with the state’s 32-year development plan.