11 Local Government Areas in Gombe State on 1st March 2024, appeared before the committee on appropriation in the state House of Assembly to defend their 2024 proposed budget estimate.
PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that the budget defence exercise which lasted for three days started from Wednesday 28th February through 1st of March 2024 at the Assembly complex.
The local government councils budget estimate of N65, 325, 296,248 billion was forwarded to the state House assembly on Tuesday and was read during plenary and forwarded to the appropriation committee for scrutiny.
Describing the exercise as fruitful and hitch-free, the chairman of the appropriation committee Ali Baba Manu, said throughout the defence sessions, the committee has critically looked and hammered on independent generated revenue which is necessary.
While applauding those local government councils with high performance in terms of revenue generation in the last fiscal year, those who have performed below average were encouraged to block leakages in order to improve on their independent generated revenue, adding that the committee as part of its oversight functions will visit the local government councils to check their records before the 2024 fiscal year runs out.
Manu said the committee and the house will do the needful on the budget estimate in order to support the effective running of the local government councils.
Some of the local government councils with improved revenue generation in the 2023 fiscal year said collaborative effort between the staff and management and input from consultant have resulted into a better revenue generation, adding that they would restrategise, so as to meet the revenue target for 2024 fiscal year.