Obinna Odogwu, Awka
An audit report detailing the receipts of the Anambra State government from the federation account in the past five years showed that the state government surpassed its budget projection in the past three years and fell short in two.
From 2016 to 2018, the state government surpassed its budget for the fiscal years, while its 2014 and 2015 were below budget line. The last three years showed that the state had more revenue to meet its demands.
This was contained in the 2018 audit report of the state Auditor-General presented to the public during the 2019 Audit Forum themed: Transparency, Probity, and Accountability in the Conduct of Government Business: A Panacea for Good Governance.
The event which was held at Jesse Hotel, Awka, was organized in conjunction with Anambra State and Local Governance Reform (ANSLOGOR), a European Union funded project being managed by the World Bank in collaboration with the state government.
The report reads in part: “In the last three years (201 – 2018), receipts from the federation account surpassed projections. This implies that for the periods, government had more revenue from the federation account to meet its obligations than it proposed”,
It further revealed that there was increment in the recurrent expenditure of 2018 compared to what was obtainable in 2017 fiscal year representing an increment of 9.49 percent.
“The recurrent expenditure rose from N41,441,351,223.86 in 2017 to N45,373,182,229.86 in 2018 representing N3,931,831,006 or 9.49 percent increase. Between 2016 and 2017, the percentage rise in the recurrent expenditure was 22.0.
“Though personnel costs and Consolidated Revenue Fund charges rose, the percentage fall in the total recurrent expenditure between 2017 and 2018 compared to 2016 and 2017 could be explained by high rate of disengagement of top level civil servants through statutory or voluntary retirement and withdrawal.
“Consolidated Revenue Fund charges rose by 24.29 percent from N9, 329,651,800.58 in 2017 to N11,596,025,145.31 in 2018. On the other hand, personnel costs rose from N13,983,281,188.79 to N15,412,966,988.39, representing a 10.22 percent increase. Expectedly, the overhead charges remained relatively stable”, the report added.