By Precious Oluwole

Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has signed N698,659,496,000 billion budget for the year 2025 into law.

It would be recalled that the Ondo State House of Assembly, last week, passed the budget at a plenary presided over by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji.

The budget tagged ” Budget of Recovery” was signed at the Governor’s office on Monday.

In the budget, the Capital and Recurrent Expenditures’ votes are N433.622Billion (62.06%) and N265.037Billion (37.94%) respectively.

According to the Governor, the Year 2025 Budget was carefully crafted based on the prevailing economic realities and inputs generated during the Town Hall meetings with the various stakeholders across the State.

“The budget reflects our collective vision for the future of Ondo State and it demonstrates that when we work together, we can achieve great things for our people.

“We have deliberately allocated the higher percentage (62.06%) to capital development in order to jump start the economy and initiate massive infrastructural renewal across the State with a view to providing the needed foundation for our desired recovery”.

He reiterated that the main objective of the budget is to make life easy for the people, stressing that this objective is sacrosanct and non-negotiable.

” It is our administration’s collective resolve to continue to break new grounds that will definitely usher in sustained prosperity for the good people of Ondo State”.

“It is for this reason that the 2025 Appropriation Law allocates resources to key sectors including agriculture, infrastructure, education, healthcare, security and social welfare on the basis of the required interventions in these sectors. These allocations are not just numbers on a page; they are proposed investments in the lives and well-being of every resident of our State. It is through these resources that we will continue to create opportunities, improve livelihoods and build a sustainable future for ourselves and generations to come”.

The Governor noted that in order to achieve the planned objectives for the 2025 financial year, fiscal discipline would be strictly enforced. He urged all spending entities to study the provisions of the budget for strict implementation by adhering to the principles of transparency, accountability and disclosure.

“Data driven policy implementation would be given very serious prominence. To this end, the Ondo State Bureau of Statistics would be strengthened to provide timely data for policy formulation and implementation such that key decisions by government would be predicated on relevant State’s data.

“We will place emphasis on monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes in the coming fiscal year. The State’s monitoring apparatus would be strategically repositioned to ensure that all projects are delivered to specification and address critical needs of the people of the State.

“For the avoidance of doubt, there will be real-time monitoring of all projects in the State as we will institutionalise the State’s monitoring framework. As we move forward, we will use this budget to address some of the most pressing challenges we face, while also making room for new opportunities for growth and development. Consequently, we are committed to full transparency, accountability and efficiency in the use of these resources, such that every Naira spent would be a step towards improving the lives of our people”.

The Governor appreciated the Members of the Ondo State House of Assembly for their industry, hard work, dedication and partnership in considering the budget.

In the same vein, the Governor also signed a bill to amend the Ondo State University of Medical Sciences law, 2015 and for other matters incidental or connected therewith and also, a bill to to prohibit forceful entry and illegal occupation of landed property, violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to landed property in Ondo State.

Earlier in his address, the Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji noted that two other bills passed alongside the budget on the 24th of December, 2024.

He commended the Governor for his efforts in ensuring that all sectors across the State are developed.

He added that the bill, signed into Law will bring the much required succour to the people of Ondo State especially in the Infrastructure sector and the agricultural sector respectively and let the various initiatives of these Administration multifaceted developments recorded in the last one (1) year will continually be achieved.

“On Appropriation Bill it is our prayer that the projection envisaged in the Independent-Revenue shall propel Revenue generations for this will assist in successful prosecution of all the laudable projects programmes for the fiscal year ahead.

“On the State properties protection Law, this is aimed to stop gagged the incursion of land grabbers known as Omo-Onile and a realisable peace and tranquillity matter relating to land matters/sales in our dear State and it is the candid advise of the State Assembly that the office of the Attorney General/Commissioner for justice should cooperate in total implementation of the provisions stated in the Bill once it is assented to.

“The Bill for Law to Amend the Ondo State University of Medical Sciences Law, 2015 and other matters incidental thereto or connected therewith is not for any vendetta purposes but rather to strengthen the Administrative structure of this great citadel of medical learning and it is our believe that this will bring further development to the Institution.

Oladiji assured the Governor that members of the House of Assembly shall with all objectives continue to ensure that policies that will bring good governance to the people are given priority attention.

In attendance were; The Deputy Governor, Dr. Olayide Adelami, members of the State Executive Council, members of the Ondo State House of Assembly.