The Sokoto State House of Assembly on Wednesday passed the 2024 budget of N53 billion for the 23 local government areas in the state.
This followed the consideration of the report of the Joint House Committee on Local Government and Community Development and that of Finance and Appropriation at the plenary in Sokoto.
The chairman of the committee, Alhaji Sa’idu Ibrahim, who presented the report, said all the 23 LGA officials presented and defended their annual budget proposals before the lawmakers.
He said the budget comprised N36 billion for capital expenditure and N17 billion for recurrent spending.
Ibrahim said: “The committee noted the varying performances of the LGAs in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), urging those lagging to explore additional revenue sources to bolster their revenue base.
“Furthermore, it recommended the training of LG Directors of Finance and Planning Officers on the International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) based budgeting procedure to enhance their budget preparation skills.
“Additionally, it emphasised the importance of familiarising LGAs with the provisions of the new harmonised and consolidated revenue law of 2019 to streamline revenue collection within their jurisdictions.”
The Deputy Speaker of the House, Alhaji Kabiru Ibrahim, who presided over the sitting, put the request into a voice vote and this was unanimously adopted by the lawmakers.