Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa on Thursday presented a total budget of ₦689.4 billion christened, Budget of Assured Prosperity, for the 2025 fiscal year.
Diri, who made the presentation at the plenary of the assembly, said that implementation of the 2025 budget would require some level of efficiency and synergy in government activities across ministries, departments and agencies.
Giving the expenditure breakdown in some of the sectors, Diri said the sum of ₦178.7 billion was budgeted for Works and Infrastructure; Education, ₦47.1 billion and Sports ₦37.8 billion.
Others are Urban and Housing Development ₦13.6 billion, Energy and Power ₦14.4 billion, Agriculture ₦16.6 billion, Security ₦19 billion, Health ₦19.1 billion and Community Development ₦10.2 billion.
The governor said the overall outcome of the 2025 budget would significantly depend on the level of fiscal and recurrent policy coordination. He added that it was the desire of the government to pursue a robust development as enunciated in the “Assured budget.”
He said: “We have consciously crafted this 2025 budget in such a manner that we are mobilising funds for human and capital infrastructural development initiatives.
“Covering the seven core areas of the Assured Agenda, which are Agricultural rural revolution and blue economy; sports and youths development; security and peace; urban renewal and rural development.
“Robust health care delivery; energy generation; economic growth and tourism; diversified education towards innovation and technology; by ensuring that our recurrent expenditure is kept within limits,” he said.
Highlighting some of the projects executed under the 2024 budget of ₦489.4 billion and a supplementary budget of ₦270.8 billion, Diri said work was ongoing on the three senatorial roads, and internal road in Yenagoa.
He said the government was building technical colleges in all local government areas, grants to tertiary institutions, economic welfare and wage award for civil servants and training of youths in agriculture for food security.
NAN