By Mumini AbdulKareem
The Kwara State House of Assembly has increased the 2018 appropriation bill presented to the legislature last month by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed,ย National Pilot,ย can report.
This is coming just as the lawmakers are set to pass the budget today after its consideration at the plenary.
Feelers that the budget has been jacked emerged, yesterday, during plenary when the Speaker, Dr Ali Ahmad asked the chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Hon Moshood Bakare to give the lasted size of the budget shortly before the presentation of the committeeโs report.
Areas that attracted the additional fund included N3 billion the House approved for State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), N2 billion as bailout for local government, N500m for Kaiama/Kishi and N150m for the establishment of the new Town Planning.
Others are N250m for electrification and other funds for Ministries of Agriculture and Information, all of which were part of the fallout of the budget defence by Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).
The passage of the budget today will be a historic one in the state being the first time it will happen before the end of the year which will regularise the January-December budget calendar.
The 8th legislature under Dr Ahmad is also the first to pass the Not-Too-Young-to-Run bill in the country, last week.
Recall that last month, Governor Ahmed presented a budget estimate of N181,886,056,555 for the 2018 financial year.
He said the proposed budget reflected an increase of N15,781,-009,150 or 9.5 percent compared to the 2017 Revised Appropriation adding that the government recorded 71 per cent implementation of the 2017 budget, with modest achievements in key sectors, despite economic challenges.
Tagged Budget of Sustained Growth and Prosperity, N75,204,-257,902, representing 41.3 per cent was earmarked for recurrent expenditure, while N106,681,798,630, which represents 58.7 per cent, was for capital expenditure.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State House of Assembly has passed a bill on Town Planning Amendment bill 2016 and the state Urban and Regional Planning and Development bill 2017 into law.
The bill was passed after clause by clause consideration, heated debate and amendment to it by all the members on the floor.
Prior to the passage, the Chairman of the committee, Adamu Usman summarised the bill at the committee to the whole house.
Speaking after the final contributions of the members, the Speaker, Dr Ali Ahmad directed the clerk to read the bill for the third time and final passage.
The Speaker instructed the clerk to make a clean copy for the assent of the Governor on the bill.
In another development, the house has urged the state government to as a matter of urgency come to the aid of the tertiary institutions in the state by providing fund in the on-going budget consideration for their monthly subvention, accreditation and re-accreditation of various courses.
The house made the plea after considering a matter of urgent public importance raised on the floor by the Chairman of the house committee on Education and Human Capital Development, Hon Jimoh Akanni Abdulrahman on the issue of subvention to the institution.
โฆWhy it suspended debate over poly fee
By Mumini AbdulKareem
There was drama at the Kwara State House of Assembly, yesterday, as the lawmakers initially suspended further consideration of 2018 Appropriation Bill following alleged non-implementation of its resolutions on the reversal of hike in tuition fee of the state-owned Polytechnic.
The news of the suspension went viral online yesterday afternoon as the House summoned the Secretary to the State Government Alhaji Isiaka Gold, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr. Aminat Ahmed and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tertiary Education, Kenneth Adeyemi to appear before it at 4.00pm.
The lawmakers had during its Tuesday sitting, unanimously resolved to give final consideration to 2018 Appropriation Bill on Wednesday.
Reading the resolutions of the Parliament, the Speaker Dr Ali Ahmad said the legislature resolved to stand down further consideration of the budget, until the invited government officials, appeared before it and give convincing explanation on why the resolutions of the House, in respect of payment of tuition fees in Kwara State Polytechnic had not been complied with.
The Speaker who expressed displeasure over the development explained that the House had allocated N300m as the subvention to the Polytechnic, in the 2018 budget, to ease its financial challenges.
Dr. Ahmad thereafter vowed that failure to honour the invitation would lead to suspension of further consideration of the budget until further notice.
He explained that it was the wish of the House to pass the budget before the Christmas break to enhance good governance in Kwara but would have its hands tied if its directive is being flouted.
The Leader of the House, Hon Hassan Oyeleke, had during the consideration of 2018 budget at the Committee of Supply, informed the House that the resolutions of the House, in respect of reversal of hike in tuition fee, in the state Polytechnic had not been complied with, thereby putting moral burden on the House.
Meanwhile, a four man committee has been constituted by the Kwara State Government to look into the resolutions of the state House of Assembly on the controversy surrounding the increment of tuition fees of the state polytechnic.
This was disclosed by the Chief of Staff to the state government, Alhaji Abdulwahab Babatunde Yusufย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย on the floor of the assembly while responding to questions on why the executive did not implement the resolutions of the house regarding the reduction in tuition fees of the students.
The Chief of Staff noted that the committee had to be put in place to look into the running of the school so as not to affect its status especially, salaries of workers.
Concerning the closure of the school portal on Friday,ย ย the Yusuf said government is going to direct the management to extend the closure pending the outcome of the committee’s findings on the issue, assuring that any student who paid above the normal fee will be refunded.
He said he was surprised that there was no circular to that effect before the implementation promising that after the exercise and assured that the state government had been assisting the institution in the area of accreditation.
On his part, the Leader of the house, Alhaji Hassan Oyeleke urged the state government to jettison the increment because of the economic situation in the country adding that anytime there is going to be an increment, stakeholders meeting should be convened on the issue.
The Speaker, Dr Ali Ahmad later said four members of the house would be incorporated into committee for the assignment adding that the house is expecting the report 5th January, 2018. He urged the students not to make any further payment until the issue is resolved amicably.
