Amid developmental challenges, Niger State to spend N7 billion on sitting allowance, honorarium in 2024
By Aminu Abubakar
A review of the budget performance document of Niger state has shown that N7 billion was budgeted by the state government for sitting allowances and honorarium for the 2024 fiscal year.
Sitting allowances are paid to lawmakers for their sittings in the form of allowances and also can be paid as allowances for other meetings.
Honorariums are forms of gifts given in instances where payment is not compulsory or binding for services rendered.
This budgeted expenditure of the government is despite calls for a reduction in the cost of governance.
Already, in the first six months of the year, Niger has spent N2.6 billion on sitting allowances and honorariums.
This expenditure is broken down into N2.5 billion between April and June alone.
SolaceBase reports that the budgeted expenditure for sitting allowances and honorarium is more than N6.5 billion budgeted by the state for the construction/provision of hospitals/health centres per details on the budget performance report.
While the actual expenditure on honorarium and sitting allowances in the first six months of 2024 stood at N2.5 billion, only N200 million has been actually spent on the construction/provision of hospitals in the first six months of 2024.
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The state has spent nothing on the construction/provision of water facilities in the first six months of the year.
Despite actually spending N2.5 billion on sitting allowances and honorariums of the state in the first six months of 2024, only N65 million was spent for capital expenditure of the state basic and secondary education, based on details on the budget performance report.
Zero naira was also spent on the capital expenditure of the Ministry of Primary Healthcare in the first six months of 2024.
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Niger State putting more commitments to sitting allowance and honorariums comes despite the fact that developmental challenges face the state.
The National Bureau of Statistics through its multidimensional poverty index puts 71% of households in Niger state as not having access to sanitary facilities, and another 50% lack access to clean drinking water.
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