The Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, on Tuesday presented a N345.42 billion 2018 Appropriation Bill to the State House of Assembly.

The proposal represents about 57 per cent increase over the 2017 budget with the education sector taking the lion share of N79.246 billion, representing 22.9 per cent of the total budget.

Tagged “Budget of Accelerated Development”, it allocated N223.721 billion or 64.7 percent to capital projects.

Of the remaining N121.698 billion or 35.2 per cent earmarked for recurrent expenditure, personnel cost, made up of salaries and allowances including pension and gratuities, was allocated N81.86 billion (23.7 per cent). A further breakdown revealed that pension and gratuities accounted for N13.5 billion of the N81.8 billion.

The target internally generated revenue for the fiscal year is N197.258 billion.

N48 billion is expected from the Federation Account, N98.16 billion from capital receipts, while N50 billion is expected from other receipts.

Mr. Amosun said the budget took cognizance of the five cardinal programmes of his administration in the state.

Other provisions in the proposed budget include for health with N21.19 billion (6.13%); agriculture, N21.13 billion (6.12%); housing and urban renewal, N45.73 billion (13.24%); rural and infrastructural development/employment generation, N73.60 billion (21.3%); and N125.93 billion (30.25%) for other sectors.

The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Suraju Adekunbi, in his welcome address to the governor, said the presentation was another milestone in the history of the state.

He commended the governor for his efforts in the transformation of Ogun from a mere civil service state to an “industrial destination of choice”.

Mr. Adekunbi also spoke of the achievements of the assembly in the current year, including passage of nine bills and eight resolutions.

He listed the bills to include a law to provide for the establishment of the Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology, Abeokuta, and that of the Ogun State Polytechnic at Ipokia, and the Ogun State Community and Social Orientation (So Safe Law).

Others are People with Disability Law of Ogun State, and Violence against Persons (Prohibition) law of Ogun State among others.

The Speaker stressed that the Assembly made fundamental contributions to the achievements of the Amosun administration through lawmaking, oversight, quasi judicial functions and representation, which according to him were made possible by the peace and tranquility in the Assembly despite the variety of the political party representations of the members.

The budget presentation was attended by a former Interim Head of State, Ernest Shonekan, former military administrators in the state, traditional rulers and members of the State Executive Council, among others.