Akeredolu presents N177.9b budget for 2020

Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has presented a budget of N177,943,835,273 for 2020 to the House of Assembly, tagging it ‘Budget of Growth’.

The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Emmanuel Igbasan, who represented the governor at the presentation, noted that the appropriation bill focused more on human capital development.

In the estimate, recurrent expenditure was allotted N82,072,784,943 while capital expenditure got N74,282,903,323.58.

While receiving the budget, the Speaker, Bamidele Oleyelogun, applauded the governor for giving priority to all sectors, to ensure all-round development of the state.

Oleyelogun assured that the Assembly would do the needful before the proposed budget estimates are passed into law.

The budget has been committed to the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation for proper scrutiny and speedy passage.

Igbasan explained that the 2020 estimate was more realistic than the previous one, as it was geared towards growing all sectors of the economy with emphasis on human capital development

Meanwhile, the deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, has denied being at loggerheads with the governor over the 2020 governorship election in the state

Ajayi iterated this at the weekend while addressing the people of Apoi in Ese-Odo Council of the state, blaming the reported crisis on political jobbers who were seeking patronage from the government.

There were insinuations that the deputy governor had fallen out with his principal because of the latter’s re-election bid. Some claimed that he was scheming to replace the governor.

At the praise night organised by the people of Apoi, the deputy governor urged the people not to worry about stories that he was fighting the governor.

“You must have been hearing one or two comments here and there about a conflict between me and the governor.

“Don’t worry about yourself. It is a normal thing in politics. The governor and I are doing very well. We are brothers and we are working together for the progress of Ondo State,” he said.

Ajayi delivered the governor’s season’s greetings to the people of Apoi, urging them to be wary of jobbers whose stock-in-trade was cheap blackmail and political propaganda.

The Kalasuwe of Apoiland, Prof. Sunday Amuseghan, said the praise night was organised to appreciate God for His protection over the kingdom.

He prayed for unity in the Government House so that the occupants could win next year’s election without rancour.