Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
Sokoto State Government on Thursday said it has downwardly reviewed its 2020 budget by fifty percent. The state Commissioner for Finance, Abdulsamad Dasuki has said.
Abdulsamad while briefing Journalists in Sokoto on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting said review was in response to the global challenges in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic.
“We agreed to review the budget down from the initial N292 billion to N153 billion.
He also disclosed that the all the state tertiary institutions will henceforth be entitled to sixty percent of their revenue while the remaining forty percent will be credited to the state government. The decision, according to Abdulsamad was based on a report of committee on tertiary institutions.
Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Ali Inamme said the council also approved the immediate increment of hazard allowance of the state health workers by hundred percent for two months.
The Commissioner further disclosed that other health workers in the frontline on the Covid-19 in the state will in addition be given weekly allowance.
He also explained that the state diagnosis centre currently under construction will henceforth be finance by the entire 23 local governments in the state.
In the same vein, the State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Umar Bature said the state government has approved the suspension of water rate for the month of April and May across the state.
He said the measure was part of palliatives put in place to cushion the effects of lockdown order to curtail the spread of pandemic in the state.
On his part, the State Commissioner for Information, Isa Galadanci also disclosed that the council has revoked the contract awarded for the construction of official residence of erstwhile Deputy Governor of the state.
He explained that the contract which was awarded at the cost of N454 million where the sum of N245 million has already been paid to the affected contractor.
He said the contractor in question was found to have been absconded from the site for over a year with only 35 percent completion level which prompted the revocation.