The Oyo State government has reported a significant achievement in its 2024 budget, with a 64.4 per cent performance rate in recurrent expenditure for the period spanning January to September.

The Commissioner for Budget and Physical Planning in the state, Professor Misbau Babatunde, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press conference held after a state executive council meeting led by Governor Seyi Makinde.

Babatunde maintained that the budget performance is largely attributed to ongoing infrastructural projects within the state.

He also announced that a treasury board meeting is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, during which Governor Makinde will oversee discussions aimed at finalizing the budget for 2025.

Also, the state’s Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Professor Soliu Adelabu, said the council had approved a major initiative to remodel and enhance two technical colleges.

He disclosed that the project would adhere to the World Bank’s Technical Vocational Education and Training model and is set to commence with a first-phase budget of approximately one billion, one hundred and fifty-three million, four hundred and fourteen thousand, ninety-eight naira, and eighty-one kobo.

Adelabu highlighted a significant milestone: the reopening of twenty-three schools within the Oyo Federal Constituency that had been closed for over a decade due to land disputes.

These institutions, he said, have now resumed full operations, marking a positive step forward in educational accessibility.

Additionally, during the press briefing, the Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, Professor Daoud Sangodoyin, discussed three key briefs presented during the executive meeting.

These include plans for the asphalt rehabilitation of 7.172 km of roads in both Old and New Bodija, with an investment of five billion, six hundred and ninety-nine million, six hundred and five thousand, two hundred and seven naira, and sixteen kobo.

The initiatives will also cover improvements to the dualised Molete Under Bridge, the Challenge Junction, and the Felele-Idi Obi Junction, alongside the rehabilitation of the road network connecting the Oyo State Secretariat at Agodi. He added that these projects are expected to be completed within eight months.