Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State House of Assembly has approved and passed into law N300,370,357,710.30 as the revised budget estimate for the year.
The budget was reviewed downward from N530 billion to N300 billion with a total capital expenditure of N171 billion and N129 billion as recurrent expenditure.
It was passed yesterday, following a report of the House Committee on Budget and Appropriation which reduced the earlier N530 billion budget based on the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the programmes and policies of the state.
The House of Assembly had commissioned the committee, led by Enemi George, to carry out a review on the budget following the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.
Presenting the report, George said the deductions were mainly on the ministries of Works and Education.
Debating on the matter, House Majority Leader, Martins Amaewhule, urged the lawmakers to allow the appropriation law to provide high expenditure on the capital.
Speaker Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani subjected the decision on the report of the committee to voting and announced that 23 lawmakers voted in favour of the approval of N300 billion as the revised budget for the state.