By Aminu Abubakar

A review of Jigawa State budget performance document has shown that over  N1.4 billion was spent on honorarium and sitting allowance between January and September 2024.

Honorariums are a form of gift while sitting allowances are usually paid to lawmakers and ad-hoc committee members, etc.

SolaceBase reports that in the same period, the state spent N1 billion on the construction/provision of hospitals and health centres.

Water facilities provision also took the same equivalent amount spent on honorarium and sitting allowances at N1.4 billion.

What the state spent on honorarium and sitting allowances, is 50% of what it spent on its primary healthcare development agency capital expenditure in the same period between January and September 2024.

Read Also:Investigation: How Rep member, agency abandoned communities, siphoned project funds in Benue StateWhile N1.4 billion was spent on Honorarium and Sitting Allowances by the State government, the sum of N1.2 billion was spent on the Jigawa State Rural Water and Sanitation Agency capital expenditure.

Only N131.9 million was spent on capital expenditure of the Small Town Water Supply Agency, between January and September 2024, despite the state spending N1.4 billion on honorarium and sitting allowance.

Only N555 million was also spent on the state’s rural electricity board capital expenditure, also only N960 million was spent on the state’s rehabilitation/repairs of water facilities; another sum of N1 billion was spent on rehabilitation/repairs of public schools.

Rehabilitation/repairs of Agricultural facilities stood at N1 million.

Nothing was spent on rehabilitation/repairs of ICT Infrastructures, the state did not also spend any money on erosion and flood control.

This is despite the fact that Jigawa state suffered from devastating flooding that led to a loss of properties and lives.

In  August 2024, over thirty-three persons were reported to have lost their lives from flooding in Jigawa State.

Read Also:SolaceBase Data: Amid health challenges, Kano suffers from poor health budget execution

Over 2.4 million persons are stated to be poor in Jigawa State, 43% of school-aged children in Jigawa are deprived of access to school attendance in the state.

73% of the households in the State lack access to sanitary facilities, and over forty-one persons have been said to have suffered suspected cholera cases in Jigawa State, as of September 2024, seven persons were said to have been killed by Cholera.

There have been concerns over prudency and accountability in the management of funds by different states in the country.