Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa Presenting the 2019 Budget Estimates to the State House of Assembly, in Asaba. PIX; JIBUONR SAMUEL.

Delta State Governor,  Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa yesterday on Wednesday, presented a budget proposal of N367, 095,083,451 to the State House of Assembly for the 2019 fiscal year.

According to the governor,  capital expenditure in the projected budget will gulp the sum of N209, 999,054,198 which is 57.21 while the sum of N157, 096,029,253 or 42.79 per cent of the budget would be spent on recurrent expenditure.

It would be recalled that the year 2018 had as its total budget size, N308,888,558,898 (three hundred and eight billion, eight hundred and eighty-eight million, five hundred and fifty-eight thousand, eight hundred and ninety-eight naira), comprising N147,273,989,898 (one hundred and forty-seven billion, two hundred and seventy-three million, nine hundred and eighty-nine thousand, eight hundred and ninety-eight naira) recurrent expenditure, and capital expenditure of N161,614,569,000 (one hundred and sixty-one billion, six hundred and fourteen million, five hundred and sixty-nine thousand naira.

Presenting the budget at a well attended session of the Delta State House of Assembly which had the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori presiding, Governor Okowa disclosed that the projected 2019 budget christened, “Budget of sustainable growth,” would enable his administration consolidate on the successes and achievements of his administration.

“Despite the fluctuating fortunes of the economy in the last three-and-half years, I humbly note that our State has continued to forge ahead; workers are paid regularly, thousands of previously unemployed youths are gainfully employed, and many of our people now enjoy better facilities in terms of roads, water, education and health. Agriculture has received a strong boost with many cluster farms springing up in different parts of the State and, even more importantly, our people remain committed to peace and harmonious living,” he said.

He asserted, “we shall build on this stable growth to position Delta State as a dynamic economy for the future; indeed, a Stronger Delta beckons.”

Road Infrastructure took the greatest chunk of the budgetary proposal with sum of N79.6 billion while the Education Sector would gulp the sum of N26.8 billion.