By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
CALABAR—Cross River State Government has proposed N144.62 billion for the 2012 fiscal year.

Governor Liyel Imoke, while presenting the appropriation bill to the state House of Assembly in Calabar,  yesterday, said the budget,  tagged “Budget of Delivery” if passed will consolidate on the gains achieved by his administration in the 2011 fiscal year.

The 2012 budget of N144.62 billion saw an increase of about N25 billion from N119 billion of 2011, which represents about 21 per cent increase.

According to the budget estimate, the state is expected to get N26 billion from the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, N65.2 billion from capital receipts and N39.2 billion from the federal sources.

Recurrent expenditure is to gulp N60.04 billion while Capital expenditure stood at N84.621 billion.

Imoke said the objective of 2012 is to create more funds from internal sources to finance the budget, adding that all revenue leakages will be sealed, existence sources widened through compliance on tax payment.

He added that the state will continue to contribute monthly to the reserve funds, which according to him stand at N5.6 billion.  “We expect to contribute N600 million to the fund next year,” he said.

Meantime,  Governor   Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has given his support to the planned audit of the accounts of all political office holders in the state by the state Auditor General.

Imoke who gave his support in Calabar at the commissioning of the N95 million ultra modern Auditor-General Office complex,  said: “One of the good things that any political office holder needs is the backing of his boss, which is very important for you to deliver on your mandate.

You need to be sure that Oga is standing behind you and I am standing behind Chris (the state Auditor General). I am saying it publicly, that those of you, who are going to be audited, make sure your books are in order, and that you are playing by the rules.”

The governor said the office of the Auditor-General will strengthen the audit functions and principles, as it will be helped to carry out its responsibilities, noting that the state had reached a stage in its development process that things would not be done the old way.

He lamented that some persons, were yet to drop some of the bad habits they imbibed during the military rule and advised such persons to get rid of those habits to enable them deliver on their mandate effectively.