The Enugu State House of Assembly yesterday passed into law the bill a seeking to authorise the issuance and appropriation of seven billion, one hundred and eighty five million, (N7,185,000.00) for capital and recurrent expenditure for the rest of the year,December 31, 2019.
The law will enable the executive transfer monies originally provided in the appropriation law from one ministry to the other as well as monies meant for one project or the other.
Recall that Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi presented a budget appropriation of N109,199, 243,000.00 for the 2019 fiscal year.
The motion for passing the bill into law was moved by the member representing Ezeagu Local Government Constituency, Hon. Chima Obieze.
Explaining the merits of the bill, leader of the House, Hon. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, said that the bill does not alter the 2019 budget of over N109 billion.
“This does not alter the appropriation. What we are doing is to move money from one section to the other’.
Explaining further, he said that N1.5 billion which was originally voted for the completion of the International Conference Centre was reduced to N7 billion, thereby saving about N800,000.00, (eight hundred million naira for other projects.
Ezeugwu said that the executive cannot spend any money without authorisation from the legislature, pointing out that, “that was why the executive came to us.”
In a related development, the House also passed into law the bill seeking to amend the law that established the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Enugu to allow for a multi campus status which it was originally designed before it was altered in 2004 which made a one campus University.
Before the passage of the bill, it generated controversy as some members wanted the University campus to be sited in their zone as well.
Recently, the executive approved the establishment of three faculties: medical sciences, social sciences and Agriculture
Commending his colleagues for the quick passage of the amended bill into law, Speaker of the House, Hon. Edward Ubosi, thanked members for their contributions and pointed out that the bill was not meant for a particular zone but for the whole state.
“This bill is not about this zone or that zone. It is about doing the right thing. It is not about Nsukka but maintaining the former multi campus structure.
” This bill is Enugu State bill. I don’t want a situation whereby somebody is going to Nsukkazise or Nkanunise the bill,” he said pointing out that it is not only Nsukka people that will be in the University but everybody including people from North.
Ubosi said that any time in future the executive comes up with a bill for another amendment to have ESUT campus in Enugu West, the House will look into it.
