Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto

SOKOTO State Commissioner for Finance, Abdulsamad Dasuki, yesterday said that the  state had reviewed its  this year’s budget by fifty perscent.

Abdulsamad,  while briefing journalists in Sokoto on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting said  the review was in response to the global challenges amid  COVID-19 pandemic.

“We agreed to review the budget  down from the initial N292 billion to N153 billion’’.

He also disclosed that  all  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, 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.

He further disclosed that other health workers in the frontline on COVID 19 in the state will in addition be given weekly allowance.

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Inamme,  also explained that the state diagnosis centre currently under construction will henceforth be financed by  the 23 local governments in the state.

In the same vein, Commissioner for Water Resources, Umar Bature,  said the state government had approved the suspension of water rate for the months of April and May.

He said the measure was part  of palliatives put in place to cushion the effects of lockdown order to curtail the spread of the pandemic.

On  his part, Commissioner for Information, Isa Galadanci also disclosed that the council had revoked the contract awarded for  the construction of official residence of  the deputy governor.

He  explained that the contract which was awarded at the cost of N454 million with the sum of N245 million already paid in advance to contractors

However, Galadanci, lamented that the contractor had absconded from site for over a year with only 35 percent completion level which prompted the revocation.