2020 Budget: Zulum Gives Priority To Education
… Allocates N23b Out of N134.5 Billion Budget
Zainab Tanimu
Kaduna, North-West, Nigeria
Governor Babangida Umara Zulum of Borno State has allocated a lion share of the 2020 budget to education.
Out of the total budgets of N134.5 billion allocated for capital and recurrent expenditure, projects and services related to education have been allocated N23 billion which is by far the highest in sectoral allocations for the year 2020 in Borno state.
Zulum yesterday read and laid down the budget estimate at the Borno state assembly in Maiduguri.
The Governor announced N67. 5 billion representing 50.3 percent for recurrent expenditure and N66.9 billion for capital expenditures.
The budget is to be financed from statutory allocation.
Out of the N23 billion announced for education, N9.1 was earmarked for higher education with greater emphasis on the Borno State University (BOSU).
This is in addition to plans to build seven primary, secondary and higher schools next year.
Also, N19.1 billion was allocated to the ministry of finance which is to fund series of government procurements; N11.6 for Health & Human service, N9.2 billion for reconstruction of communities destroyed by insurgents, N7 for roads and other infrastructure, N5.3 billion for the state assembly’s projects, N4.4 billion for major housing estates and N4b for agriculture.
Other sectors got lower allocations depending on the budget focus.
“In the coming financial year (2020), we will construct (2) new mega schools in Wuyo and Chibok, and (2) technical schools in Mbalala and Bulabulin (Maiduguri).
“We will also construct (3) new Higher Islamic Secondary schools in Dikwa, Monguno and Biu Local Government Areas,” the governor announced.
Zulum also stated that his administration would, in 2020, rehabilitate and reopen secondary schools currently closed in Monguno, Damasak, Gajiram, Gubio, Dikwa, Ngala, Konduga, Bama and Gwoza towns.
The governor noted that in the 2020 budget proposal, there was a plan to also construct 72 classrooms across the state and rehabilitate 27 blocks of two classrooms.
He also disclosed the plans to recruit 1,000 teachers to fill gaps as well as procurement of furniture and instructional materials to be supplied to all renovated schools, assuring that the government would continue the routine school feeding programme across the state.
Zulum, in his review of educational projects in the current fiscal year, recalled that 20 primary and post-primary schools were rehabilitated through major transformation works in different parts of the state.
Also, the governor noted that three new mega schools, each with capacity for 1,200 pupils, were constructed and commissioned within the last six months of his administration.
