Zamfara State House of Assembly Speaker Nasiru Magarya
The Zamfara State House of Assembly has deliberated on the general principles of 2021 appropriation bill by reducing the budget by more than N16 billion naira to enable the state government to conduct its services to the end of year 2021.
The Speaker Nasiru Magarya read the letter before the House members, followed an executive request sent to the House by the state governor Dr Bello Muhammad through a letter sent to the House duly signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Kabiru Balarabe.
Hon Magarya informed his colleagues that owing to security challenges facing the state and dwindling economic fortunes of Zamfara state, the Government cannot carry on with the huge budget deficit hence the need to downsized the budget to N16 billion naira .
Leading the debate on the need to revised downward the 2021 appropriation law that was passed the House early this year, the House leader Hon Faruk Musa Dosara called on his colleagues to give this executive request an accelerated hearing and subsequent passage into law going by the exigency of the bill.
In a contribution, Member representing Maru North, Hon Yusuf Alhassan Kanoma said 2021 revised budget was not in any way different from what happened in 2020 budget when the House deliberated and cut down last year’s budget due to Covid-19 pandemic .
He urged his colleagues to give this executive request a speedy passage to allow the state government continue with its laudable policies and programmes.
In his ruling, Speaker Nasiru Magarya while commending his colleagues for the maturity shown in the entire deliberation process ordered that the bill be given first and second reading and give directive to House Committee on Finance and Appropriation under the chairmanship of Hon Shamsu Basko who is a certified Chattered Accountant of Nigeria (CNA) to scrutinize the bill and report back before next one week .
Reporting by Sirajo Mohammed; Editing by Adeniyi Bakare