by Isi Esene

Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima yesterday wept on the floor of the House of Assembly while presenting the 2013 Appropriation Bill to the honourable members.

The governor was said to have broken down into tears while reflecting on the havoc wreaked by a militant Islamic sect operating in the state.

Reports say the governor repeatedly stated that the state shall rise again.

Shettima said he was “deeply pained” by the security challenges facing the state.

He went on to assure the people that the current insecurity being experienced in Borno will soon be put to an end and its economic potential will be actualized.

“Surely, Borno shall rise again,” he repeated while nearing the end of his presentation.

Shettima said: “It is my fervent prayer and hope that this problem will come to an end soon”

Presenting the N184.3 billion budget tagged The Budget of Collective Renaissance, he said it was aimed at kick-starting the recovery, growth and development of all segments of the state through conscious, scientific and consultative approach to create new avenues for reviving the state’s economy.

About N52.1 billion is for recurrent expenditure, while N132.1 billion is for capital expenditure.

The governor reportedly said, “We shall explore more ways of generating revenue to effectively fund our projects and programmes that have direct impact on the lives of the people.

“We will maintain prudence, accountability and transparency in the management of scarce resources.”

He stated that the budget is expected to be financed from a statutory allocation of N108.7 billion from the Federation Account and Internally-Generated Revenue, IGR, of N30.1 billion.