The Zamfara State House of Assembly has reduced the 2021 appropriation bill by more than N16 billion.
This was according to a press statement signed by the Director General, Press Affairs of the Assembly, Comrade Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, and made available to newsmen in Gusau, the state capital.
The statement said that the decision of the Assembly to cut down the budget was due to an Executive request sent to the House by Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle through a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Kabiru Balarabe.
According to the statement, the letter was read at the floor of the House by the Speaker, Hon. Nasiru Mu’azu Magarya.
“Owing to security challenges facing the State and dwindling economic growth of the State as at now, the government of the State cannot carry on with the huge budget deficit hence the need to cut down the budget by about N16 billion.
“The statement further stated that the leader of the Assembly, Hon Farouq Musa Dosara appealed to his colleagues to give the executive request an accelerated hearing and subsequent passage into law going by the exigency of the bill,” the Speaker said.
Hon. Dosara further explained that since the budget was passed by the House early this year, it was not out of place to review the budget downward.