A Bureau Newspaper review of the Bauchi State budget performance document has shown that the state government under Governor Bala Mohammed spent N1.3billion on honorarium and sitting allowance in nine months.
Also, the state government spent N1billion on foodstuff and catering materials supply in the same period.
The development is despite claims of paucity of funds by states and hardship in the country.
Recently for instance, states in Northern Nigeria noted that they would be unable to meet up their fiscal needs if the Value Added Tax sharing formula was reviewed.
Other states including those in the Southern part of the country have made same complaint.
This would mean that each month between January and September, the state spent N111million on foodstuffs and catering materials supplies.
This is even as the state spent N440.8million on refreshment and meals between the same period of January and September, 2024.
It also spent heavily another sum of N1.3billion on honorarium and sitting allowance within the same period.
In the same period, the capital expenditure of the ministry of water resources took N457 million, only N52.3 million was spent on the capital expenditure of the ministry of women affairs and child development.
Only N430 million was spent on the capital expenditure of the state’s higher education ministry. The state also spent only N147.6 million on the capital expenditure of its specialist hospital.
This development comes amid developmental needs of Bauchi State.
At least 2.46million persons are poor in Bauchi State; 54% of children are said to be denied access to education in the state.
Also, 65% of households in the state are denied access to sanitary facilities, while another 48% are denied access to clean drinking water.
