Kaduna State Governor,  Nasir El-Rufai on Wednesday signed the 2021 budget of N246 billion into law after passage by the State House of Assembly.

The governor had on October 4, 2020, presented N237.52 billion as the 2021 budget estimate with 66 per cent of the budget devoted to capital expenditure to support the government’s commitments to education, health, infrastructure, and agricultural development while 34 per cent was devoted to recurrent expenditure.

But after about two months of deliberation, the State House of Assembly jacked up the budget proposal to N246 billion.

Speaking shortly after signing the budget into law at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna in the state capital, El-Rufai pledged the implementation of the 2021 budget to deliver on the government’s promises and sustain the 98 per cent capital budget implementation recorded in 2019.

The governor also promised to continue the huge strides in infrastructural development recorded in 2020, commending the State House of Assembly for consistently passing the state budget way ahead of the end of the preceding year.

“It is my privilege today to sign the 2021 Budget of the Kaduna State Government into law as passed by the Kaduna State House of Assembly. I thank the House of Assembly for consistently passing the next year’s budget way ahead of the end of the preceding financial year,” he said.

El-Rufai said the implementation of the 2021 budget would begin on 1st January 2021, adding that “this is an unprecedented achievement. We are the only government that has for years without fail started its budget on 1st January.”