Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki, has earmarked N34 billion for workers welfare in the 2020 budget proposal, representing 31 percent increase in allocations for personnel cost.
Obaseki disclosed this while presenting the 2020 fiscal year’s budget proposal of N177.601billion to the Edo State House of Assembly for consideration for approval.
He said this represents 3.34 percent decrease compared to the 2019 budget.
Obaseki explained that the amount earmarked for workers welfare was due to the government’s commitment to implementing the new minimum wage and building capacity of the state’s civil servants.
According to him, the budget comprised of N85.539 billion for Recurrent and N92.062 billion for Capital expenditure, based on a $55 per barrel bench mark for crude oil and average daily production of 1.8m barrels per day as well as an increase in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
He said security trust fund was allocated N2 billion, pension and gratuities, N14 billion; contribution to the state health insurance scheme, N1 billion; primary healthcare reform, N1 billion; the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme, N8 billion; Constituency Development Programme, N6 billion; National Sports Festival, N3 billion while the Industrial Park will gulp N3 billion.
He said the budget will advance his administration’s reforms to build a total society in Edo and consolidate on successes of the last three years, adding that the budget will deepen socio-economic development and consolidate on the march for a truly productive and progressive state.
