Delta State Government Gives Reason For Isoko 2.8% Budget Allocation

Following the trending protest by Isoko Nation against the Delta State Government over poor budgetary allocation to the region in the 2018 fiscal year, the State Government through the office of the Honourable Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, has played down on the submissions of the various Isoko pressure groups, stating that the budget allocation theory is tinted towards politics for obvious reasons.

Responding on behalf of the State government, the Economic Commissioner, Dr. Kingsley Emu in a press statement titled, “2018 ISOKO BUDGET…THE TRUE STORY” and signed by him, said, the erroneous 1% claim which is actually 2.8% is only in capital expenditure that is so spelt out for specific interventions, adding that Isoko Nation is one of the few local governments that have the benefit of drawing from two key budgets of Delta State and DESOPADEC which the latter has a budgetary provision of N28bn as capital expenditure for which the Isoko nation is a legitimate beneficiary.

Emu slammed the submissions of the group, declaring that the authors developed amnesia on all of these provisions. So their uninformed conclusion cannot bear the burden of explanation of negligence.

Below is the Commissioner’s statement as obtained from the Media Aide to Governor Okowa, Ossai Ovie Success who circulated the release.

“My attention has been drawn to the concerns raised by ISOKO PRESSURE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE GROUP on budget 2018. While it is encouraging for citizens involvement and engagement in the budgeting process it is also advisable for us to have a better understanding of a budgeting process.

The erroneous 1% claim which is actually 2.8% is only in capital expenditure that is so spelt out for specific interventions.

There are omnibus sub heads in ministries of Works, Health, Environment, Agriculture, Job Creation, Basic and Higher Education, Water Resources, Commerce, Micro Credit. More importantly there are key provisions of N1.5bn and N1.3bn for social security and community development which are also for capital expenditure in the same budget for all the 25 LGAs.

Isoko Nation is one of the few local governments that have the benefit of drawing from two key budgets of Delta State and DESOPADEC. DESOPADEC has a budgetary provision of N28bn as capital expenditure for which the Isoko nation is a legitimate beneficiary.The authors developed amnesia on all of these provisions. So their uninformed conclusion cannot bear the burden of explanation of negligence.

In budgeting it is impossible to identify all the issues and areas of intervention in one year and that accounts for the use of omnibus. We now have a responsibility to do an enlightenment programme for genuine citizens to educate them on budgets and budgeting process.

I like to commend the representatives of the Isoko nation for their understanding of governance and how it works but enjoin them to embark on advocacy in this area irrespective of such politically motivated write ups. Even basic computation of the capital expenditure has been distorted.

We must separate serious issues of economy from politics for obvious reasons.

Signed

Dr. kingsley Emu

HC Budget and Planning