——By Shedrack Onitsha,———-

Delta State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Dr Kingsley Emu said, the greatest threat to Nigeria is teeming number of youths including, graduates who are jobless.

Addressing Journalists at 2018 budget break-down briefing at Asaba, Monday, served noting that the establishment of the Job Creation Office is one of the greatest achievements of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration.

He added that with the Job Creation Office, Okowa’s administration had ensured that most Deltans are not only gainfully employed but, have become employers of labour thereby contributing to growing the economy of the state.

According to him, “through the Job Creation Office, a lot of persons have become employers of labour and we cannot quantify the benefits of having a healthy and working population.”

“We are here to sufficiently inform you about the 2018 budget which has been presented to the Delta State House of Assembly; the budget as crafted, provides for how to manage the activities of government throughout the year,”

He emphasized that, “the sum of N147, 487, 809, 897 which is 49.48 per cent of the budget will be spent on recurrent while capital expenditure will take the sum of N150, 590, 669, 000 billion which is 50.52 per cent of the budget.”

He disclosed that under recurrent expenditure, personnel cost will be N64, 352, 187, 136, overhead costs – N46, 837, 529, 552; consolidated revenue fund – N36, 298, 093, 210 stating that as it concerns capital expenditure, economic will gulp N37, 952, 119, 208; social – N28, 694, 720, 207, environmental – N35, 251, 858, 990; general administration – N17, 691, 970, 595; DESOPADEC – N28 Billion; contingency fund – N3 Billion.

On the sources of revenue to finance the proposed budget, Dr Emu said the sum of N1, 194, 460, 212 will be raised from the internally generated revenue; statutory allocation N18, 056, 627, 329; value added tax – N251, 745, 067 and other capital receipts – N37, 893, 899, 556.