Makinde seeks Assembly’s nod to review 2020 budget amid COVID-19

Oyo ALGON loses case at Appeal Court over council dissolution
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State yesterday sought the approval of the Oyo State House of Assembly for downward review of the 2020 fiscal budget from N208.8 billion to N169.97 billion amid COVID-19 pandemic.

The state government, in the bill titled: “Reviewed Appropriation Bill 2020” and read for the first time during the plenary by Speaker of the House, Adebo Ogundoyin, said the downward review of the budget was to accommodate the latest financial reality of the nation and the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to drastic drop in oil price, national revenue and reduction in federal allocation to states and revenue generation in Oyo State.

The proposed reviewed budget has N104,982,971,570 earmarked for recurrent expenditure, while N64,992,791,160 is voted for capital expenditure.

Also yesterday, the Assembly commenced debate on a bill for a law to establish Oyo State Contingency Trust Fund Management and other matters connected.

The bill, which was read for the first time on the floor of the House, was meant to set up an agency to manage some urgent or unforeseen expenditures of the government.

The Speaker said that the proposed law was in response to the recent crowd funding and donations made towards the COVID-19 pandemic for the state.

In another development, the state Chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) yesterday lost its appeal filed against the Oyo State government on dissolution of the councils.

The Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, decided the appeal in favour of the appellants, Governor Seyi Makinde and the Oyo State Government, against Bashorun Bosun Ajuwon, who had instituted the case initially on behalf of the Oyo State chapter of ALGON.

In the summary of judgment, the judge, Justice Haruna Tsammani, held that the sacked local council chairmen failed to show verifiable facts of the plan by the Oyo State governor to dissolve the councils and that the case was quite different from the Ekiti State case.

The court said the case initiated was based on mere speculations and conjectures.