Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago has proposed to the state’s draft budget estimate for the 2025 fiscal year, totalling N1.20 trillion.
The Governor’s Special Adviser on Digital Media and Strategy, Abdullberqy Usman Ebbo, announced this on his X page.
Ebbo noted that the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mustapha Ndajiwo, revealed the details during his presentation at the Niger State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House in Minna.
“The Niger State Government at its Executive Council meeting on the 26th November 2024 presented a draft 2025 fiscal year budget estimate of N1.20tn for Council approval,” he stated
Breakdown of the 2025 draft budget
The draft budget consists of two major allocations:
- Recurrent expenditure: N188.42 billion (15.68%)
- Capital expenditure: N1.01 trillion (84.34%)
Ndajiwo disclosed the proposed budget marks a 32.94% increase compared to the approved budget for 2024.
He noted that although the 2024 budget had been supplemented by N191.98 billion, the draft 2025 budget reflects an increase of 1.18% in recurrent expenditure and 32.98% in capital expenditure, signaling a strong focus on infrastructure and development.
“informed the Council that when compared with the approved budget of 2024, the estimate represents an increase of 32.94%,” the statement read.
Factors driving the budget increase
Governor Umaru Bago explained that the increase in the 2025 budget was driven by two main factors:
- Infrastructure gaps in the state
- The inflationary trend in the country
“The size of the estimate was informed by the gap in infrastructure and key development areas and the inflationary trend of the country,” the statement read.
Following the presentation, the Executive Council approved the 2025 budget estimate and directed the Hon. Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mustapha Ndajiwo, to prepare the draft for submission to the Niger State House of Assembly.
What you should know
Niger State government as part of its plans to increase agriculture production and reduce post-harvest losses has entered into a partnership with Chinese Special Agro-industrial Processing Zone facilities in Chendgu, Mlian Uang, and De Yang City, all within Sichuan Province to acquire more knowledge to improve the quality of agricultural products.
The Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman, emphasized that this will foster knowledge sharing, technology transfer, and investment opportunities to enhance food security and improve the quality of agricultural products in the state.
The state government allocated 1.2 million hectares of land as part of a significant $2.5 billion livestock investment initiative between Nigeria’s Federal Government and JBS, a leading Brazilian meat processing company.
As a pilot state, Niger is poised to benefit significantly from the initiative.
- The creation of one million jobs.
- The development of 100,000 new homes in farm estates.
- Establishment of 100 agricultural facilities across the state.
Additionally, the project will be supported by the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, which spans 125 kilometers through Niger State, facilitating the success of the initiative and boosting the state’s infrastructure.