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Gombe State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Muhammad Gambo Magaji, has outlined the key focus areas of the state’s 2025 budget, with education, water and sanitation, health, agriculture, and infrastructure taking precedence.
Speaking during a press briefing following the signing of the budget into law by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, on Monday, the commissioner described the budget as a strategic document aimed at consolidating the administration’s achievements and ensuring sustainable development.
According to Gambo Magaji, the 2025 budget prioritizes the expansion of infrastructure and significant investments in education to enhance quality and access across primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions.
He also emphasized other critical areas, including human capital development to bridge skill gaps and empower youth and women.
Others are enhanced social protection policies to provide safety nets for vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, rural poor, and the elderly and Agricultural development to strengthen food security and economic diversification.
Hr also highlighted healthcare upgrades to ensure functional health facilities and improved access to quality medical services and security improvements and the creation of an enabling environment for business growth and investments.
The commissioner provided a comparative analysis of the 2024 and 2025 budgets.
He revealed that recurrent expenditure for personnel costs increased from N29 billion in 2024 to over N32 billion in 2025, largely due to the recently implemented N71,451.15 minimum wage.
However, Magaji explained further that capital expenditure for the economic sector decreased from N227 billion in 2024 to N178 billion in 2025, reflecting a 21.63% reduction.
The commissioner said that the decline is intentional, as the administration focuses on completing ongoing projects in its final phase rather than initiating new ones.
Reviewing the performance of the 2024 budget, Gambo Magaji disclosed that as of September, the state had achieved over 60% performance in both recurrent and capital expenditures.
He expressed confidence that by the end of the year, overall budget performance would exceed 80%.
The commissioner described the 2025 budget as one of “commitment and resilience,” assuring the public that it will ensure the optimum utilization of resources to deliver on the administration’s development agenda.
“This budget reflects our determination to complete critical projects, enhance service delivery, and sustain Gombe State’s position as a model of development in Nigeria,” he stated.
The 2025 budget underscores the administration’s resolve to leave a lasting legacy of growth, inclusion, and progress as it approaches the end of its tenure.
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