Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri
2024 Budget N489bn signed by Bayelsa government. After the House of Assembly cleared the 2024 Appropriation Bill of N489 billion, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri signed it into law.
In addition to the appropriation law, Diri signed the Bayelsa State Electricity Law 2023.
The sum represents a rise of N8.450 billion by the assembly, as Diri presented a budget of N480 billion to lawmakers for consideration on November 29, 2023.
Diri signed the ‘Budget of Sustainable and Shared Prosperity’ for 2024 in the Government House in Yenagoa, according to a statement issued Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah.
He stated that critical sectors such as education, infrastructure, healthcare service, and agriculture were prioritized in the budget.
He expressed hope that diligent budget execution would enhance people’s living situations and combat rural and urban poverty.
“To realize our vision of sustainable and shared prosperity, we have carefully crafted this budget to prioritize key sectors aimed at improving our infrastructure, expanding access to mass education with an emphasis on Technical, Science, and Vocational Manpower Development, enhancing healthcare services, and promoting agriculture as a means of creating employment and reducing poverty,” the governor said.
“You may recall that I presented the Assembly with a budget proposal totaling N480,993,632,369.” However, I noticed an upward review of N489,443,632,374, giving us a difference of N8,450,000,000 to provide more funding for the construction of an ultra-modern stadium, an ultra-modern renal center at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, the construction of an administrative block for the Primary Health Care Board, and other critical overhead expenses.
“Through the use of a bottom-up approach in budget preparation, specific rural community needs have been prioritized.” We intend to make certain that the advantages of this budget are felt by all. We shall work relentlessly to bridge the urban-rural divide in order to decrease the threat of
The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, noted that a minor upward revision was made to the governor’s budget request in order to suit the country’s current economic reality.
He praised Diri for submitting an all-inclusive budget that reflected the state’s economic reality and aspirations.
Ingobere stated that the approved budget increased anticipated capital and recurrent expenditure significantly in light of existing state and national realities.
Speaking on the electricity bill, Diri entrusted the state energy board’s Managing Director, Olice Kemenanabo, with ensuring that the state’s electricity outfit not only generates and distributes power but also commercializes it.
He stated that with the federal government’s liberalization of power, the state now has the authority to create, distribute, and commercialize electricity even to neighboring states.
He called the signing of the electricity bill into law “historic,” saying that electricity generation, distribution, and commercialization had previously been on the federal government’s Exclusive List.
The governor also urged Kemenanabo to grant licenses to private investors interested in the industry, citing Bayelsa’s abundance of gas as the key resource.
“We have gas in abundance and we have no excuse not to have 24-hour electricity in Bayelsa State now that l have assented to this bill,” he told the crowd.