Members of the Taraba State House of Assembly on Wednesday unanimously increased the 2023 budget by N500 million from N172, 734, 537,459.40 to N173,234, 537,459.40.
The decision to pass the budget followed the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation during plenary.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the passage of the budget, the speaker, Joseph Albasu Kunini, said the attention of the members of the assembly was drawn to the fact that the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) was not allocated funds in the budget earlier presented by the governor.
The increase, according to him, is to enable the SIEC to conduct local government elections across the 16 local government councils of the state.
The speaker who also spoke on why the budget was given accelerated passage, said it’s geared at enabling the state government to execute the ongoing projects.
He also identified the forthcoming Yuletide as a major reason that necessitated the accelerated passage of the budget.
This, as made known by him, will enable the members to embark on their recess which, according to him, will pave the way for them to return to their constituencies and interact with their constituents.
The members, as stated by him, will work round the clock to ensure that the budget is effectively implemented.
The “Budget of Fulfilled Rescue Mission and Transition” was presented late last month.
