Niger State Government has earmarked the sum of 1.3 billion in the 2022 Appropriation Bill of N198.2 billion to settle leave allowances of civil servants and boost productivity in state.
Zakari Abubakar, the commissioner for Finance and Budget, who is overseeing the Ministry disclosed this during the breakdown of the state’s 2022 budget as presented by Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, last week Thursday.
“The Governor Abubakar Sani Bello administration is positioned to accord prime importance to the State Civil Service as a catalyst to drive the administration developmental policy,” he stated.
Abubakar explained that the administration discovered that, some civil servants in some Ministries and MDA’s were not captured in the 2021 leave grants, adding, “we need to ensure that such categories are adequately captured for the 2022 budget.”
He said in view of the importance the administration attaches to the welfare of civil servants, the sum of N1, 331,367,685,91 representing 1.77 percent of the budget was allocated to the payment of civil servants leave grant.
He also stated that in 2022, Agriculture will be accorded top priority as the State gradually battles her way out of the devastating economic meltdown of COVID 19.
“To this end, a deliberate and sustained agricultural policy aimed at encouraging agricultural value chain for the State will be pursued as over N5 billion is allocated to the sub-sector which comprises of improving Agricultural output at 3.7 billion Naira and livestock development at 1.7 billion Naira.
“There is no doubt that this government is determined to carry the Agricultural sector to another level as we look forward to diversifying the economy of the State,” Abubakar further disclosed.
