The administration led by Governor Godwin Obaseki in Edo State has recently published its budget performance report for the second quarter of 2023 on the state’s website.
According to the report, the government spent a total of N973,475,295.69 on bank charges, N296,390,714.00 on publicity and advertisements, N425,768,967.40 on meals and refreshments, and N254,577,158.27 on cooking gas within the first six months of the year.
Additionally, the government spent N212,899,175 on welfare and N306,173,051.33 on postages and courier services.
The report also revealed that the government spent N375 million on bank charges during the second quarter and N973.4 million from January to June.
The administration’s total budget for 2023, called “Budget of Resilience and Transformation,” was N192 billion for capital expenditure and N127.5 billion for recurrent expenditure.
However, a civil society group called Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI) has recently accused Governor Obaseki, Edo State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Joan Oviawe, and the Chairperson of Edo State Universal Basic Education Board, Mrs. Ozavize Salam, of diverting a World Bank loan of $75 million and another N129.12 billion approved for the education sector in the state.
In a petition addressed to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the group stated that despite the billions of Naira budgeted in the past seven years, the state of public education in the state is still a social menace in waiting.
Source: Iwitnesslive.com