The Governor of Bauchi state, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has said that the state would boost its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from N200 million to N1Billion in order to ensure rapid development of the state.
At a media chat on Saturday to mark his one year in office in Bauchi, Governor Mohammed said that strategies had already been put in place to achieve this.
“The only way to ensure rapid development of our state is to raise our IGR because it is so low at the moment. We don’t have to rely on Federal Allocation because it is no longer enough due to dwindling economy. Right now, we have concluded arrangements to procure a consultant to help us as we don’t want to burden other sectors”
“The Coronavirus pandemic has slowed down everything globally.We have conquered Coronavirus and even the WHO have said that we will have to live with the virus.We have been singled out as one of the states that has done so much in the fight against COVID-19.We are the epic center, starting with me, for everybody to see and know that the Coronavirus is not a joke.Out of the 235 index case, only 22 are on admission in the state.”
“So far, we have achieved so much during the first year, we are doing a very robust cash flow, management of resources and freeing resources where they are locked up by corruption, ineptitude and inefficiency.We are deepening and reinvigorating the bureaucracy in such a manner that we will look inwards and provide good and services within our limited resources”
“Where we cannot rescue our resources, we will go to the EFCC or ICPC and get our money back.Even previous projects that were done in the previous administration like the Soro-Miya road.We are not going to let go of the money that Bauchi state have,we must get it back.So we are working hard, but quietly. We don’t want over exposure,” he said
The Governor said that his administration will be financially prudent in it’s spending, adding that the cash flow is very tight as the Government pledged to pay N300 million every year for gratuities and pensions, but sometimes the government pay less because what is paid is statutory.”
