Chidiebele Obika | I-Witness News
Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the Governor of Anambra earlier today presented a total of N606,991,849,118 as budget estimate for the 2025 fiscal year which represents 48% increment from last years’ budget of N410,132,225,272 to the Anambra state House of Assembly.
The Governor who pointed out that his government since 2023 was yet to borrow any money to finance budgets emphasized that as usual, his administration can only borrow for two reasons; (a) it must be a concessionary loan, and (b) it must be allocated to projects with a clear plan for repayment in the future.
He noted that relative to 2024, ” several key sectors are seeing significant increases: the administrative sector by 45.5%; the Economic sector by 40.1%; the Judiciary sector by 51.3%; the social sector by 82.7%; Education by 101.4%; Health by 57.1%; and Infrastructure investment by 38.9%.”
Soludo highlighted his administration’s projects and programmes to include: payment of N70,000 national minimum wage, recruitment of over 8000 teachers, 5000 youths who were trained in various skills and empowered, litany of infrastructural projects dotting the landscape, huge investments in the health sector and so many others.
Said he, ” Over 540 kilometers of roads are under construction, with approximately 310 kilometers already asphalted in 30 months, and with a quality that Anambra has not seen before. The Ekwulobia flyover and bus terminal are nearing completion. The dualization of the 34-kilometre federal highway from Amawbia through Agulu, Ekwulobia and Uga to the Imo State border as well as the dualization of 36 kilometres from Nwagu Agulu-Nnobi- Nnewi, Ozubulu to Okija linking to the Onitsha-Owerri highway is a game changer. These projects signal our bigger agenda to fundamentally transform our transport infrastructure as all Trunk A roads are planned for dualization, in addition to our Rail transport Masterplan. The construction of the link bridge at Aroma, connecting the two parts of Awka. We have broken the 33-year-old jinx of not having a befitting Government House and Governor’s Lodge in Awka: we expect to move within a few weeks. For the first time in decades, urban and rural water schemes are back!”
” The needs of poor and vulnerable individuals are also addressed in this budget. More than 100,000 households will receive ten or more seedlings of coconut, palm, ukwa, pawpaw, soursop, and other crops per household as we did in 2024. We will also provide grants to micro-businesses across 326 wards in the state as part of our commitment to our Party mantra “Onye Aghana Nwanneya.” In 2025, we plan to expand our One-Youth-Two-Skills program to accommodate more youths and empower them accordingly. We are also establishing a One Million Digital Tribe, scaling our digital skill training program through the Solution Innovation District (SID).”
Furthermore, he said that the state projects monthly IGR of N5b although it was getting about N2.5b presently and restated the government’s commitment to aggressive revenue drive to fund the budget.
The speaker of the 8th Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze while commending the governor for his people-oriented programmes and policies called on the majority and minority leaders of the assembly to move and second motions for the first reading of the appropriation bill.
In their separate comments, the majority leader of the House of Assembly, Hon. Ikenna Ofodeme moved the motion that the appropriation bill be read and passed for the first reading and his motion was seconded by the minority leader of the house of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Johnbosco Akaegbobi and the bill was read and passed.
In his vote of thanks, the House Committee chairman on Finance and appropriation, Hon. Ejike Okechukwu praised the governor for his sterling performance, huge budgetary allocations for most of the sectors while drawing his attention to low budgetary allocations for environment, transport and water resources.
