2008 budget: FG to allocate N72bn for constituency projects

Taiwo Adisa, Abuja - 22.07.2008

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has said that the Federal Government would allocate a total of N72 billion for constituency projects in the 360 federal constituencies and the 109 senatorial districts in the country in the 2008 budget.

Senator Ekweremadu, who stated this at a reception in honour of the governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime, said under the arrangement, each of the 36 states was to receive N2 billion for projects to be determined by the lawmakers.

The projects, he said, were, however, to be executed by the executive arm of the government.

Senator Ekweremadu said the decision was reached following meetings between the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives with the executive.

According to him, lawmakers from Enugu State had decided that the allocation to the state would be used to uplift the Enugu Airport to international standard.

“Recently, we met and we agreed that each geo-political zone should identify projects considered a priority to the tune of N10 billion. We want to ensure geo-political spread of projects.

“At the level of South East, we decided that each state should identify projects to the tune of N2 billion. So, what we, Enugu State, that is the Enugu State caucus, decided was that we are going to apply the N2 billion to the Enugu Airport,” he said.

He said the National Assembly would allocate the funds in the course of amending the 2008 Appropriation Act.