Uzodimma assents to Imo’s 2025 budget

Governor Hope Uzodimma has assented to the N807 billion Imo Appropriation Bill for the 2025 fiscal year.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the House of Assembly reviewed the amount from an initial N756 billion.

Speaking shortly after signing the bill into law on Tuesday in Owerri, the governor pledged “full and faithful implementation” of the budget.

He said that the increase was based on an alignment between the Executive and the Legislature in providing essential services to the people.

Mr Uzodimma, who expressed his satisfaction over the expeditious passage of the bill, pledged to immediately commence the budget implementation.

The 2025 appropriation law showed that 86.09 per cent of the total budget outlay, amounting to about N694 billion, was approved for capital expenditures, while 13.91 per cent, about N112 billion, was allocated for recurrent expenditures.

The Ministry of Works and Infrastructural Development got more than N297 billion (42.8 per cent) and the Ministry of Transport, N101 billion (14.5 per cent).

The Ministry of Power and Electrification received N74 billion (10.8 per cent), while the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security was allocated N50 billion (7.2 per cent) of the budget.

The Ministry of Education got N49 billion (7.1 per cent), while the Ministry of Health received N31 billion (4.65 per cent).

“I have just signed into law the 2025 Imo State Appropriation Bill, which now has the force of law and serves as the financial operational manual for the state.

“The total 2025 budget, as amended by the Assembly and signed into law, is N807,088,041,220,” he stated.

He commended the Speaker and members of the House of Assembly for expediting the bill’s passage and increasing the budget estimate.

“This Budget of Expanded Economic Opportunities is designed to drive the economic transformation of our state through improved infrastructure and industrialisation.

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“Beyond focusing on making our economy one of the fastest-growing in the region, we aim to position the state as a prime destination for genuine investors.

“We will create expanded economic opportunities through investment and job creation,” he said.

He called on the stakeholders to support his administration in its endeavour to set Imo on a path of sustainable development.

Earlier, the Speaker, Chike Olemgbe, explained that the bill was carefully crafted, a situation that made their job easy and seamless.

Mr Olemgbe also said that the proposal showed that the governor was determined to give Imo people “Expanded Economic Opportunities” as contained in the budget.

(NAN)