Plateau State Spent 47% Of Amount Budgeted For Capital Expenditure On Official Vehicles In Q1 2024
This disclosure has raised questions amongst concerned citizens relating to the appropriateness of the notify’s spending priorities.
A more in-depth stare on the budgetary spending of Plateau Convey for the first quarter of 2024 has printed that the notify govt allocated a vital sum of N3.9 billion for the aquire of motorized autos, constituting approximately a quarter of the N16 billion budgeted for this expenditure item for the year.
This disclosure has raised questions amongst concerned citizens relating to the appropriateness of the notify’s spending priorities.
Alternatively, of this amount, N3.9 billion changed into already spent as of the first quarter of 2024.
A more in-depth examination of the expenditure finds that N3.6 billion, accounting for approximately 92% of the total automobile aquire funds, changed into allocated in direction of the procurement of various fashions of ‘legitimate autos’.
Particularly, this vital spending on autos took place amidst a complete capital expenditure of N8.2 billion within the first quarter of 2024.
Consequently, a mighty 47% of the notify’s complete capital spending right thru this era changed into dedicated to automobile purchases, raising questions relating to the prioritization of capital projects within the notify.
Primarily based exclusively on findings, the procurement of legitimate autos, totalling N3.6 billion, changed into facilitated thru the Office of the Secretary to the Convey Government. In distinction, the notify’s capital expenditure allocation for other vital sectors changed into vastly lower, with: Ministry of Works: N22 million; Ministry of Mineral Assets: N15 million; Ministry of Water Assets and Energy: N920 million; and Successfully being Sector: N75 million.
The capital expenditure for ministries within the financial sector totalled N1.5 billion, dwarfed by the N3.9 billion spent on automobile purchases. This disparity is terribly pertaining to given the notify’s alarming debt ranges, which rose from N157.62 billion to N173.93 billion between June and December 2023.
Moreover, this prioritisation of automobile purchases over vital sectoral investments comes amidst pressing developmental challenges going thru the notify, highlighting a mismatch between spending and desires.
Plateau Convey faces stark developmental challenges, with 73% of its population lacking bring collectively admission to to shipshape ingesting water, 84% with out bring collectively admission to to sanitary products and services, and 52% struggling to bring collectively admission to timely healthcare.
These alarming statistics highlight the notify’s pressing need for improved smartly-liked products and services. Meanwhile, stakeholders are calling for a reduction within the worth of governance, emphasising the necessity for prioritised spending and atmosphere friendly resource allocation to handle these pressing concerns.
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