By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The 2023 budget estimates presented last month by Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State have been passed by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
The appropriation bill was passed on Thursday by the Akwa Ibom Assembly after its size was increased by 0.4 per cent to N700 billion, with capital expenditure gulping N355.995 billion and the recurrent expenditure taking N344.005 billion.
The budget was passed after the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Mr Uduak Odudoh, submitted his report, which members looked into clause-by-clause and was, after that, unanimously accepted.
The report recalled that “at the 8th sitting of the fourth session of the seventh assembly on Monday, November 7, 2022, Governor Emmanuel presented his budget address to the House.
“At the end of his address, in pursuance of Section 121 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), he laid before the House estimates of revenue and expenditure of Akwa Ibom State for 2023 for consideration.
“By virtue of Order 8, Rule 1(3) of the Standing Order of the House, the Appropriation Bill 2023 was deemed read the first time.”
Presiding over the plenary yesterday, the Speaker, Mr Aniekan Bassey, directed the Clerk of the House, Mrs Mandu Umoren, to communicate the position of the House to the Governor for assent.
The House later adjourned its plenary to Thursday, January 5, 2023, at 10.00 am.
Adedapo Adesanya