States get N66bn in new COVID-19 budget

The Federal Government has disbursed N66.5 billion ($175 million) to eligible states on the basis of the Amended COVID-19 Responsive 2020 Budget achievement. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, who disclosed this in a statement signed by Mr. Hassan Dodo, the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, on […]

The Federal Government has disbursed N66.5 billion ($175 million) to eligible states on the basis of the Amended COVID-19 Responsive 2020 Budget achievement.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, who disclosed this in a statement signed by Mr. Hassan Dodo, the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, on Wednesday in Abuja, explained that the disbursement followed compliance with the Amended COVID-19 Responsive 2020 Budget by 35 eligible states.

• ‘Attacks On NEMA Warehouses Stalled Relief Items’ Distribution’
• Police Accountability, Discipline Mechanism Weak – Gbajabiamila

It would be recalled that the Federal Government earlier in April, 2020, disbursed N43.4bn ($120.6m) to 24 qualified states based on their performance.

The programme is wholly financed with a loan of $750m from the International Development Association (IDA), a member of the World Bank Group. Each state received N1.9bn ($5m).

The disbursement, Mr. Dodo said in the statement, was under the performance-based grant component of the World Bank-Assisted States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme for results.

Rivers is the only state that missed out on the grant due to its inability to meet the eligibility criteria which required the states to have passed and published online on their websites by July 31, 2020, credible, fiscally responsible COVID-19 Responsive Amended 2020 Budgets duly approved by the Houses of Assembly and assented to by the governors.