Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has presented a budget proposal of N272.736 billion for the 2023 fiscal year before the State House of Assembly.
Governor Akeredolu presented the budget tagged “Budget of Shared Prosperity” to the lawmakers on Monday during a plenary sitting presided over by the Speaker of the House, Bamidele Oleyelogun, at the newly renovated House of Assembly Complex, Igbatoro road, Akure, which was commissioned last week.
Recall that the House of Assembly complex was renovated by Governor Akeredolu since it was built in 1979 by the late Adekunle Ajasin-led Administration.
According to him, the N143.511 billion was budgeted for capital expenditure and N129.224 billion for recurrent expenditure.
The 2023 budget proposal is higher than that of the total projected Budget outlay for 2022 Fiscal year which was N199,282,437 billion.
Akeredolu disclosed that the 2023 budget was prepared on the basis of the inputs garnered during the Town Hall meetings with various stakeholders across the state.
He noted that the bug was tailored towards achieving the Redeemed Agenda of his administration which is also in tandem with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to the Governor, the projects and programmes carefully selected in the budget cut across critical areas of infrastructure and environment, education, health, social safety -net, security, industrialisation, among others.
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The governor said with the resources available to the State Government, his administration has continued to pursue its developmental agenda in areas of priority.
He added that the government has been able to record modest achievements across board in various thematic areas of the REDEEMED agenda.
The Governor listed some of the achievements to include construction of more than 450km of roads across the state; construction of over 238 blocks of classrooms; provision of 16, 874 sets of pupil’s furniture and 3,394 Teacher’s furniture; strengthening of Amotekun and other security Agencies in the State through provision of operational vehicles and equipment; empowerment of over 9,068 Youths through ONDEA; rehabilitation of water supply schemes in Araromi Obu, Oke-Igbo, Oba-Akoko, Idoani, Okitipupa and Ilutitun.
Others are distribution of over One Million Cocoa seedlings to Cocoa farmers; Omotosho-EpeAjah 330KV D/C Transmission line and Osogbo-Benin 330KV D/C line; regular payment of salaries to State Workers; provision of free maternal health care (Abiyamo/Solayo Scheme) for over 40,000 pregnant women and children; and empowering of 48,761 under the ONDO-CARES Programme.
He commended the Speaker and other members of the House for their passion and timely effort in considering the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) as well as the passage of the 2022 Revised Appropriation Bill in response to the exigencies of deepening security, infrastructural development and to cater for the vulnerable.
Governor Akeredolu equally thanked the people of the state for their unflinching belief, confidence, co-operation and support for his Administration.
The Governor informed the Lawmakers that in fulfilling the aims and objectives of the 2023 budget proposal, his administration will pursue a policy stance that will entrench efficient spending, curb waste, engender inclusivity, and enable excellent service delivery.
In his speech, the Speaker of the House, Bamidele Oleyelogun, affirmed that the presentation is in tandem with the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended).
He noted that the content of every budget, no doubt, has a great impact on the life of everybody in the society.
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