Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has signed an appropriation bill of N267 billion for the year 2016 into law with an assurance that projected Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) would drive the implementation of the budget.

Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA), Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya, accompanied by the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi, the Clerk of the House, Mrs Lyna Ochulor, and other principal officers of the DTHA, had presented the appropriation bill christened “Budget of Renewed Hope And Inclusive Development” to the Governor for his assent yesterday at the Government House, Asaba.

Governor Okowa lauded the legislators for the speedy passage of the budget, which he said would translate into massive infrastructure development of the state before the commencement of the rains.

“This budget that has been assented to in good time, gives us enough room to utilise the dry season in our infrastructure development plans and I must appreciate the Speaker and members of the Delta State House of Assembly for taking their time, during the festive season to truly work on the budget, ensuring that we had a very speedy passage of the budget,” he said.

Okowa further said: “With the bill that was signed into law, we have appropriated N153 billion as recurrent expenditure and N114 billion for capital expenditure and by God’s grace, we hope to work very strongly to generate the revenue to implement the budget in full.

“It is our hope that the Board of Internal Revenue (DBIR) would exceed the target of N75 billion from the N40 billion that we had last year; I believe that it is achievable because, we are going to block all loopholes and ensure that more people come into the tax net.”

The Governor urged Deltans to pay their tax, assuring: “We will do our best to be accountable and money collected from taxes would be ploughed back to the development of the state.”

He commended the good working relationship between all arms of government in the state, noting that such partnership would lead to faster delivery of his administration’s mandate of prosperity for all Deltans.

Rt. Hon. Igbuya had told Governor Okowa and members of the State Executive Council who were present at the occasion that the Assembly members “took time off and did justice to the bill in line with your administration’s drive for good time and prosperity agenda.”

•Photo shows Governor Okowa.

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