Katsina to spend N2.5bn on refreshments, foodstuffs in 2025

By Aminu Abubakar

Katsina State’s 2025 budget has shown that a sum of N2.5 billion is earmarked to be spent on foodstuffs/catering materials, refreshments/meals in 2025.

According to the budget, reviewed by SolaceBase, the sum of N1.485 billion is planned to be spent on foodstuffs/catering materials supply.

Between January and September 2024, a sum of N1.1 billion was spent on foodstuffs/catering materials supply.

Another sum of N1.1 billion is earmarked to be spent on refreshments and meals in 2025. Already between January and September 2024, the sum of N336.3 million was spent on refreshments and meals by the State.

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Other planned expenditures include N775 million for international travels and transport (others). International travel and transport (training) is expected to gulp N511 million.

Local travel and transport (H.E) is earmarked at N1.820 billion.

Honorarium and Sitting allowance is expected to gulp N303.5 million, hotel accommodation budget is planned at N300 million.

Another sum of N662 million is expected to be used for fuelling motor vehicles, plant and generator fueling costs are planned for N598 million.

While foodstuffs and refreshments will gulp N2.5 billion, the state plans to spend N2.2 billion on capital expenditure of its Rural Water Sanitation Agency. Only N540 million is expected to be spent on the capital expenditure of the Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management.

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Only N184 million is planned for the state College of Health Sciences capital expenditure in 2025.

The Katsina State Road Maintenance Agency’s capital expenditure is also earmarked at N2.2 billion.

In other related expenditures, the State House of Assembly plans to spend N100 million on refreshments and meals, the House of Assembly also plans to spend N339 million on International Travels and Transport (others) and another N680 million on international travel and transport (others).

The government house plans to spend N1.7 billion on local travel and transport (H.E), refreshments and meals in the government house is expected to gulp N250 million, and motor vehicle fuel cost is earmarked at N840 million in the government house.

Katsina State suffers from developmental challenges.

There are 2.8 million poor persons in Katsina State, 38% of children of school age lack access to education in the state. 61% of households in the state lack access to sanitary facilities.

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39% of households in the state also lack access to clean drinking water, per the multidimensional poverty index data published by the National Bureau of Statistics.

While States have lamented inadequate revenue and poor resources, there have been concerns on how states have managed resources.

There have also been concerns about accountability and transparency by states in the country.