NB247
Some light has been shed on the the rational behind the downward review of the 2025 Budget by the Ondo State Government amidst conflicting opinions f members of the House of Assembly.
While some reports stated that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, submitted a supplementary Appropriation Bill 2025 to the House of Assembly two months to the end of the fiscal year, the state government says the bill is not a supplementary budget.
According to Information Commissioner, Idowu Ajanaku, the bill is rather a downward review of the 2025 budget.
He said in interview on Thursday with out correspondent that the state government had discovered that the implementation of the 2025 Budget 100 percent was no longer feasible due to shortfalls in expected revenues.
He said on order not to end the year with a low percentage of budget performance, the state government decided to do a review of the budget to make it align with the reality of the expected and acceptable revenues.
The Ondo State Budget as signed into law in December 2024, N698.66billion, nicknamed the “Budget of Recovery,” The budget allocates N433.62 billion (62.06%) to capital expenditures and N265.04 billion to recurrent expenditures.
The state government’s reviewed budget presented to the House of Assembly is N531 billion
It was gathered that many lawmakers are not happy about the new bill, either because the contents of the bill have been fully discussed or because some believes they were not fully carried along on the preparation of the reviewed budget.
The controversy whether it is a supplementary budget or a reviewed budget is further heightened with lawmakers reportedly walking out during the reading of the bill on the floor of the house.
Although lawmakers were reluctant to openly speak on the matter, the House’s Deputy Chief Whip, Ifabiyi Olatunji, who represents Odigbo Constituency I, says it is too early to talk about controversies over the budget since the matter is yet to be brought to the house for proper debate.
Mr Olatunji said although he was not around when the budget was presented, he believed that with a simple majority of lawmakers, the bill could be easily committed to the relevant committee.
”As I am talking to you, I have not laid my hands on the budget, so I cannot tell you whether it is a supplementary budget or a reviewed budget,” he said.
”But it will require two thirds of the house to confirm the budget, and until that two thirds is formed nothing can be done. Two thirds majority is required before a budget can be confirmed, because it is a law.”
The lawmaker noted that the committee would be required to submit the details of the budget and at that point members would take their stand on the budget.
However, Mr Ajanaku stated that the 2025 Budget had to reviewed downward after it was found to be bloated due to shortfalls in expected revenues.
”The 2025 Budget has only this month and the second week of December to expire, and the exco reviewed it downward and sent it to the House of Assembly for approval,” he said.
”It is not a supplementary budget, but an amended budget reviewed downward so that the performance target of the budget could be met.
”You know that the performances of a budget to a large extent help to attract counterpart funds from foreign donors.”
Mr Ajanaku also denied any rift in the house over the budget, saying that lawmakers had been fully briefed on the intent of the bill.
Meanwhile, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the state, has alleged that by the development , Governor Aiyedatiwa was trying to force through the “supplementary budget” barely two months to the end of the fiscal year.
The party, through its spokesperson, Wande Ajayi, said that the governor’s request, barely two months from the end of the fiscal year, is indefensible, particularly when the 2025 Appropriation Law of ₦698.6 billion has recorded less than 35 percent implementation on major projects.
To this, the governor’s Special Adviser on Communication & Strategy, Allen Sowore, reacted, saying there was not supplementary budget before the house.
”For clarity, what is before the Ondo State House of Assembly is not a supplementary budget. It is a revised and restructured version of the ₦698.6 billion 2025 Budget of Recovery—which had earlier been duly passed by the Assembly and signed into law by the Governor,” said Mr Sowore.
”The review became necessary because some anticipated funds from development partners have yet to materialize, and the fiscal year is fast coming to an end. In line with prudent financial management, the government decided to recalibrate the budget to reflect a more realistic revenue profile and ensure a fairer allocation of state resources across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
”In essence, this exercise represents a downward adjustment, not an addition. It is a budget revision, not a supplementary appropriation. The goal is to achieve fiscal discipline, transparency, and efficiency in the management of public funds.
”Unfortunately, whether out of ignorance or deliberate mischief, the PDP’s spokesman descended to an embarrassing level of misinformation by accusing the Governor of intimidation, coercion, and illegality for presenting the revised budget to the House of Assembly.”
