The Enugu State Government has reviewed downwards the 2020 budget of N169.5 billion to N146.4 billion due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the difference represents 13.67 per cent.
The state Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Dr. David Ugwunta made this known during the budget review in Enugu on Tuesday.
Ugwunta said that the recurrent revenue was reduced from N100.8 billion to N99.536 billion.
He stated that the recurrent expenditure was previously N68.790 billion before the review but was slightly increased to N69.790 billion which represented 1.45 per cent.
”On the capital expenditure, there is a reduction from N100.767 billion to N76. 584 million at 24 per cent.
”In all, the state budget size before the review was N169.557 billion but reduced to N146, 584 billion at 13.67 percent,” he said.
Declaring the review open, the State Deputy Governor, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo, explained that the downward review of the 2020 budget was due to the downfall of the country’s economy caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” she said.
Ezeilo urged the participants to contribute to the review of the budget as they were mostly the targeted audience.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Planning, Mr Casmir Ugwu noted that the state achieved a lot in 2019 despite distractions from political activities.
Ugwu posited that the 2020 budget needed to be reviewed owing to the challenges facing the state and the country at large.
”This year has been hampered by the ravaging pandemic known as Coronavirus.
”It hit the nation’s economy hard and this is because the oil which is the largest economic base of the country went down,” Ugwu said.
He noted that the state had achieved a lot in the midst of the pandemic and the economic downturn.