ONDO STATE 2025 BUDGET: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT.
When on the 30th of December, 2024 the Ondo State Governor was signing the 2025 state appropriation bill into law at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office in Akure, the state capital, he was very emphatic on his intentions for the good people of the state.
The Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa on the occasion described the 2025 budget as “Budget of Recovery,” this is a bold and strategic step at rebuilding the state’s economy and addressing critical socio-economic challenges.
The Budget totalling N698.659 billion allocates N438.622 billion (62.06%) to capital expenditure and N265.037 billion (37.94%) to recurrent expenditure.
However, since the online publication of the budget details, which is a novel idea by the Aiyedatiwa led government, some people who appears not to be adequately educated on matters of governance, budget and it’s execution have been misinforming the public about some of the budgetary heads and allocations.
A budget is a financial or spending plan that outlines your projected income, expenses and other financial goals over a specific period. In other words, it’s an estimate.
In Ondo State and like every other states of the federation, it’s the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning that prepare the budget yearly and present to the state’s house of assembly for scrutiny and approval after due and exhaustive consultations. While the Ministry of Finance supervise the budget implementation after authorization by the governor.
The groups now criticising some aspects of the 2025 budget are either indirectly saying that the state’s house of assembly members (comprising intelligent and mature Indigenes of the state from across the 18 local government areas) are not able representatives of the people and have not done due diligence on the budget before passage or that they (the critics) themselves are ignorant and need more education on budgeting.
It’s on record (both audio and video) that the state’s house of assembly painstakingly studied, scrutinized and appraised the budget presented by the state government before approval because those representatives appreciate that they have been elected as the “eyes” of the people to watch over the commonwealth of the state.
It’s therefore very uncharitable and a direct afront on the state’s legislators for some elements in the state to be picking holes or bashing a document which has been passed into law.
Are these people pushing for the scraping of the state’s house of assembly because of incompetency or incapability or that the passage of the budget did not pass through due process?
To have a robust budget does not translate to the fact that it is everything therein that will or must be expended.
As a matter of fact, what a robust budget does is that it gives it an international rating.
Many international scholars could pick interest in such budget to further academic knowledge through research by juxtaposing such a budget in some African countries with others in America, Asia and or Europe.
Aside the above, budgets are usually prepare in anticipation of the inflationary rate trends. In 2024, the inflation rate in the country closed at around 35%. Meaning that what you bought for N100 late last year may attract higher price in 2025 if inflation is not properly checked!
Also raised, mischievously though, is the issue of Security Vote being kept by the Ministry of Finance. This is far from the truth.
From time immemorial, there are three outstanding votes in a state government budget regarding classification and they are: security, contingency and committee/commission.
Anyone familiar with the issue of budget can check that of Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos and other states of the federation to compare notes.
Security and contingency votes helps the government to take care of all forms of unforseen circumstances in the areas of safety of lives and properties and cases of natural disasters. In fact, the rain will soon start and may God continue to have mercy.
For the Committee/Commission Vote, there are times within the year that the state have to set up special committees to handle special public issues like the case of Covid 19 Committee and others.
For such cases as described above, government does not have to approach the state’s assembly again for supplementary budget approval.
Although there are times when the contingency vote or any other vote for that matter may not be fully expended, if such happens, the left over funds will remain and be rolled over into the following year’s financial appropriation bill.
Since 1999 till date there has not been any change or difference in the set up of the state’s Heads and Expenditure or the way money is being spent. It’s very clear therefore that those pushing half truth or outright lies to the public are merely bellyaching and trying to witch hunt innocent public officers who are giving selfless service to the state.
For the purpose of information and education, no dime has been drawn in the budget of 2025 for project implementation or any other expenditure. So, why are the critics attacking the government if not just discredit it?
To fault a budget, it is expected that sincere critics will look out for areas like extra budgetary spending, where N100 is voted for an MDA but such is spending N150.
A budget was diligently put together, painstakingly studied and passed by a duly constituted state’s house of assembly and yet some elements who are hell bent in causing confusion and disharmony in the state for pecuniary reasons are faulting it. Please, we should shun politics and let us face reality.
It is an open secret that for the first time in the history of Ondo State, the state’s budget has been put online for those who are financially and economically savvy to peruse.
The Honorable Commissioner for Finance who is a British trained financial expert and the first female commissioner of finance in the state did impress it on Mr. Governor the need to publish the entire budget online in consonant with the United Kingdom’s financial ethics and standard.
Unlike in the past when stakeholders were told that the “envelope has not been opened,” and may not have first hand knowledge of the content of the budget for the whole year, this government have refused to continue with business as usual but yet, some disgruntled individuals are still trying to rock the boat of the state.
The impressive effort by the government of Lucky Aiyedatiwa to be transparent should be commended rather than derided.
To the critics who are cropping up some aspects of the budget in order to distract the government and score cheap political points, you are advised to wait until the budget implementation starts.
Wait and see if you will notice any discrepancy or virement which is a situation when money budgeted say for vehicles is diverted to construct houses probably because such an MDA feels it does not need vehicles any longer.
The old tactics of calling a dog a bad name in order to justify the hanging cannot stand with this government of the day.
Ondo State belongs to us all and not just the few caustic critics who seems to have lost out in the power game and does not care any longer if the ship of the state sink or sail.
Comrade Olabode Akinwale writes from Akure, Ondo State.
