2021 Budget: What Edo Expect From Obaseki On November 12
Today marks the end of the first tenure of the Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki.
Tomorrow he would be sworn in as governor for second term.
The governor in preparation for the second term inauguration presented before the Edo State House of Assembly N153.4 billion appropriation budget for 2021.The governor increased significantly the recurrent expenditure by 23 percent.
From N76.5 billion in 2020 to N94.8 billion for 2021.
Though the governor was not specific if the N18.3 billion increment is for new employment.
He did said the budget will enable him build future workforce.
He added that the budget is for major investment which is the people.
N18.3 billion can create and pay the annual salary of more than fifteen thousand new jobs for graduates.
Edo state civil service has suffered a lot years back.
Most of the work force are casuals. Most of the casuals were very hopeful for the then Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to lift embargo on employment.
But their hope was dashed. All the casual workers were sacked by the former Governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
Over 500 of them in number across all MDAs were sacked.
Some of the casual workers have been rendering free services to the state for over ten years and more; hoping one day their appointment as casual worker would be regularized by government.
Funny enough, after Adams Oshiomhole sacked the casual workers, heads of different government establishment started appealing to the same sacked work force to remain with them as contract staff.
Because most of the MDAs in Edo state are short of man power.
The last time Edo state without mincing words experienced employment in larger number into the state civil service was the era of Governor Lucky Igbinedion.
Thereafter, succeeding governments have been very political and artificial in employment creation in the state.
Succeeding governments instead of enlisting the youths into the state civil service, will prefer to give them artificial job of N30,000 per month to the graduates.
Succeeding governments sacked them at will.
The ten thousand artificial EDO YES jobs Adams Oshiomhole created, almost all the beneficiaries were sacked before Oshiomhole left office.
Bad as it maybe, the recurrent expenditure in the state has continued to increase from less than 20 billion naira during Lucky Igbinedion administration to now N94.8 billion for the second term of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
What could be responsible for this increment.
The new minimum wage is insignificant.
It could also be that most of the money have been used as allowance or special allowance for criminal few in government.
Breakdown of state budget is always difficult to get.
Governors in Nigeria hide the details and only publish what they want the people to see with lamentation.
This is unlike the federal government who post the detail breakdown of every year budget on the website of the Budget Office Of the Federation.
Governors have a lot they are hiding.
Even lawmakers are in good conspiracy with the governors.
Lawmakers see the detail breakdown of yearly budget by states as a sacred and forbidden thing that should not get to the public.
No state in Nigeria run a transparent government.
That aside, one would expect Governor Obaseki to tell us at the inauguration tomorrow, how many new jobs will he create directly into the state civil service for the teaming unemployed youths using all manners of criminal or criminal like means to survive in the state.
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