Governor Hyacinth Alia has been granted a N170.8 billion supplemental budget by the Benue State House of Assembly.

Speaker Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh chaired a plenary session on Wednesday during which the consent was granted.

After the supplemental appropriations bill was approved, Benue’s total budget for 2024 was N396.

The report from the Committee on Finance and Appropriation on the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, which was given to the assembly during its plenary session, was reviewed before the supplemental budget was approved.

The committee chairman, Cephas Dyako, presented the report to the house and reminded them that the N225,727,395,206.97 approved revenue for 2024 has been enhanced by N170, 894, 473, and 135.09,

increasing the updated predictions for 2024 to N396,621,868,343.

The House approved it into law after closely examining and observing the 2024 supplemental estimates for capital and recurrent spending.

In order to improve efficiency and facilitate easy access to the sites, the House also orders Dr. Grace Adagba, the chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), to decentralise the recruitment examination to each of the state’s 23 local government areas, effective immediately.

Minority Leader Michael Audu moved a motion asking the SUBEB chairman to decentralise the recruitment examination process. He told the house that many applicants will find it difficult to travel to Makurdi for the test because of the hardship caused by the increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS.

He claimed that many applicants would lose hope if the SUBEB chairman made such a choice since they do not have the money to travel to Makurdi for the exam.

Bemdoo Ipusu, the member for the Katsina-Ala West state constituency, seconded the proposal. Berger Emberga, a member for Makurdi North state constituency, criticised the state’s high unemployment rate and requested the house to halt the process’ centralisation.

According to Berger, many applicants who lack the means to go to Makurdi, the state capital, for the computer-based exam will be disqualified by the SUBEB chairman’s decision.

The SUBEB chairman should promptly decentralise the recruitment test process and guarantee that all eligible state indigenous candidates receive fair treatment, according to a resolution passed by the House.