Masari signs 2022 budget, says banditry must be defeated

Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State said banditry must be defeated collectively across the affected northern states before the end of their tenure in 2023.

The governor, who stated this while signing the state’s 2022 appropriation bill into law Wednesday in Katsina, said there was no going back in the ongoing fight against bandits.

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The N323.3billion budget signed into law was below the N341billion submitted to Katsina State House of Assembly.

Masari said, “We must prepare to fight back as individuals to fight the bandits because they are evils and they represent evil. We should not retreat in this fight.

“We took over under serious threat of security in 2015 and by God’s grace, we will not hand over this country to the next generation of leadership under this condition. We must restore normalcy.

“The only way to challenge these people is to show them that we are willing, determined and capable of defending our territory and our lives and property.”

Earlier, Speaker Alhaji Tasi’u Maigari said the lawmakers received input from civil society organisations, their constituents and members of the public before passing the budget.