By Precious Oluwole

Ondo State House of Assembly has called on all and sundry to contribute their quota positively towards attaining a visionary budget review for 2023.

The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji made the call while declaring open the technical session of the year 2023 budget review at the assembly complex in Akure.

According to him, the budget review became imperative to provide additional funds where necessary in the budget to keep governance running.

He charged MDAs to work in line with the present reality to achieve the best to better the lives of the people of the State.

The Speaker said that the exercise is a constitutional matter that must be scrutinized before passage, calling for all hands to be on deck for a robust bill.

Earlier, in his welcome speech, the Majority leader and Chairman House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi noted that the year 2023 budget review is one of the most significant constitutional rights accorded the Legislative, as entrenched in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

While saying that it is the very first appropriation law review in the 10th Assembly, he said it behoves the house to collectively make concerted efforts to concentrate on issues that dominate the present concern.

“One of the important issues to note is the removal of fuel subsidy which has resulted in significant change in 2023 appropriation law as well as the need for the State Government to complete some infrastructures whose financial projective has increased due to Inflation.

“AIl these variables and factors put together have affected the social-economic plans of all states including our dear state. Given this, the Committee will painstakingly strive very hard to have a workable and pragmatic budget review in all Ministries, Department Agencies, and others.

The State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Pastor Emmanuel Igbasan said that the budget review is initiated by some occurrences during the year that was not envisaged when the budget was been crafted late last year, noting it was accented to before December 21 by the Governor of the State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

Meanwhile, Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) appeared before the joint Committee of OSOPADEC and finance and appropriation yesterday for the same exercise to improve the well-being and standard of the mandate area.

Cross-session of MDA who appeared before the House pledged to utilize the fund appropriately towards the development of the State.