Following the presentation of the 2015 budget estimate to the Anambra State House of Assembly recently by the State Governor Dr. Willie Obiano, Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Parastatals of government have commenced the process of budget defence for their respective organs.
Various committees of the State House of Assembly took time to cross-examine as well as ascertain how best funds allocated to the MDAs would be deployed to ensure effective results in the end.
Hon . Victor Jideofor Okoye member representing Anambra-West State Constituency and member of some of the committees told 247ureports.com at the assembly complex Awka that the 2015 budget will indeed create wealth judging from the responses in the course of the defence as there is a current move for revenue derivation in the state.
Hon. Okoye maintained that as soon as the 2015 budget was passed, lawmakers will Intensify over_sight functions to ensure effective utilization of resources.
Also Chairman House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development and member representing Awka_North State Constituency Hon. Rebecca Uzoamaka Udoji said that the MDAs responded positively to the budget defence adding that for the first time in the state lawmakers gave accelerated hearing to the budget to guarantee speedy passage.
Hon. Udoji further disclosed that the response of the MDAs in the budget defence showed strong indications that the 2015 budget appropriation may be passed into law before the end of December 2014. She said constitutionally lawmakers were empowered to carry out over-sight duties to ensure fiscal prudence in the deployment of government resources stressing that they would not relent in their over-sight duties to ensure that the MDAs follow the budget religiously in the course of implementation.
On the other hand, the Chairman House Committee on Petitions and Conflict Resolution who also doubles as the Deputy-Chairman House of Assembly Committee on Education Hon. Ebele Obi noted that the budget proposal for the state ministry of education was in tandem with the demands in the state education sector. Hon. Obi stated that the Anambra State University Uli, Nwafor Orizu College of Education and some other state owned educational institutions got substantial portion of the budget adding that the education sector has about 5% of the total budget estimate for 2015.