By Banji Ayoola
Education, the topmost priority of the entire people of the South West including Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states, is of the topmost priority in the N177.9 billion budget for the 2020 fiscal year, which the Ondo State Government presented on Thursday for ratification, to the state’s House of Assembly.
Government plans to spend N19.4 billion on the sector, according to the budget presented by the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Emmanuel Igbasan on behalf of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN.
Tagged ‘Budget of Growth,’ it includes N74.282b capital estimates and N82.072 billion recurrent expenditure.
Works and Infrastructural sector takes N15 billion; while Health takes N9.2 billion and N7.8 billion goes to Agriculture .
Of the figure, N10.5 billion goes for debt service, while N11 billion is for Statutory Transfers.
Akeredolu said the budget reflected the current administration’s commitment to work assiduously to deliver on its electoral promises to the people of the state.
Noting that the budget was reduced by 13billion, compared with 2019 which was N190billion, he said: “A total sum of N82 billion has been budgeted for recurrent expenditure and a sum of N74billion for capital expenditure.
“Over N10billion was also voted for debt services and N11billion for statutory transfer, ” he said.
The governor said that his administration had taken significant steps to attract investors to the state and to highlight areas where the state has comparative advantages for possible intervention.
According to him, the 2020 budget was the third major proposal to be prepared by his administration, adding that it would lay emphasis on consolidation and building on the feats achieved in 2019.
The governor said that the 2020 budget would focus mainly on human capital development, quality health care delivery, most especially to the people at the grassroots, and agriculture.
He lauded the lawmakers for their support and the mutual understanding between the legislature and the executive in the last three years of his administration.
The Speaker, Bamidele Oleyelogun, commended the efforts of the governor in reviving and evolving a brand new state for all citizens.
Oleyelogun appealed to the governor to assist the Assembly in either building a new assembly complex or renovating the existing chamber as many members could not sit in their offices due to the dilapidated condition of the complex.
He praised the governor for giving priority attention to all sectors, saying this would e nsure all-round growth and development of the state.
He assured that the Assembly would do the needful before the proposed budget estimates is passed into law.
Swiftly, the assembly committed the N 177, 943, 835, 273 billion appropriation bill to the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, following a motion moved by the House Majority Leader, Jamiu Maito and seconded by Akinribido Tomide, after exhaustive deliberation and contributions by other lawmakers on the floor of the House.
Maito, on behalf of the Assembly, appreciated Governor Akeredolu for making the budget available before the end of the year, saying the development would further ensure speedy passage for the development and progress of the state.
The lawmakers also used the occasion to draw the governor’s attention to the dilapidated state of the Assembly’s hallowed chamber, calling on him for urgent renovation so that they can continue to perform their legislative functions in a conducive environment.
Igbasan, after the presentation, told reporters that the budget is a realistic one; explaining that up to November 31 this year, budget performance is at 64.29 percent, which is the highest ever in the state.
He noted that this year’s Budget of growth is geared towards growing all sectors of the economy with emphasis on human capital development.
He said: “We believe that as an administration, the wealth of the state is not on bitumen, cocoa, or oil but is in our people.
“Therefore, we want to ensure that we enhance the productive capacity of our people through quality learning outcome in education, quality health care delivery, Agriculture where we have comparative advantage, not leaving out the productive sector behind which is also the real sector of the economy.”
Igbasan explained the reason for a reduction in this year’s budget compared to last year’s budget and penultimate year, saying that the government has realised that the revenue inflows always fall short of expectations.
“We have crafted a realistic budget taking into consideration the expected glut in global oil market price due to excess stock from the USA and China. We have to make our presentation appropriately and we believe that if all hands are on deck, we will realise the budget submitted before the House.”
On the performance of last year budget, he said for the first time, the 2019 budget performed excellently.
