Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun on Tuesday presented N449.974
billion budget proposal to the Ogun State House of Assembly for
consideration and approval for the 2020 fiscal year.
The appropriation bill which is the first by the Administration was
christened as “Budget to Build Our Future Together”.
The Appropriation was hinged on five strategic pillars coined,
‘ISEYA’, standing for Infrastructure, Social Protection and
Well-being, Education, Youth Empowerment, Agriculture and others.
Governor Abiodun, while presenting the Budget christened, “Budget to
Build Our Future Together”, at the Ogun State House of Assembly
Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, said Social Protection and Wellbeing
takes the lion share with N128.067Bn, representing 28 percent,
Infrastructure to gulp N107.964Bn representing 24 percent; Agriculture
takes N21.634Bn at five percent; Youth Empowerment takes N7.896
percent and others, N92.804Bn, representing 21 percent of the total
Budget.
He revealed that the overall Budget proportionate performance of 2019
Budget as at October 31, 2019, stood at 36.2 percent, saying, “it was
almost a routine that proposals are made but rarely fully implemented.
With this in view, we have scaled up expectations and thought through
how government will perform better in the coming year’’.
The 2020 Budget, according to the Governor, included total Recurrent
Expenditure of N180.843 representing 40.19 percent and Capital
Expenditure of N269.132B, representing 59.81 percent of the Budget,
respectively.
According to the Governor the budget estimate reflects his
administration’s determination to deliver on its electoral promises,
has as its major thrusts the holistic actualization and localization
of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the public –
private partnership initiatives.
Abiodun assured that the administration had put in place a mechanism
for a workable public financial management system to eliminate
leakages and ensures efficient and judicious use of the State wealth.
According to him, there would be full automation of the State Finance
functions, strict adherence to the proposed fiscal responsibility law,
instituting credit rating for the State by internationally accepted
rating agencies and strengthening internal audit functions.
He noted that there would also be timely publication of audited
accounts of the state.
Speaking at the presentation, Speaker of the state House of Assembly,
Hon Kunle Oluomo, lauded the Governor or what he described as “the
great strides made and solid foundations laid in all sectors” by him
in the last seven months despite the avalanche of “booby traps” set
for his administration.
Oluomo added that a catalogue of litigations were also raised against
Dapo Abiodun and his loyalists; ostensibly to distract him from
“governance.”
He assured of continuous and robust relationship between the
legislature and other arms of government through the enactment of more
people oriented legislations.
Assembly would keep to its age-long tradition by giving necessary
attention to the budget proposal within the time frame, while
facilitating the provision of more infrastructural facilities towards
adding value to the standard of living of the people.
