Idowu Sowunmi
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, Thursday said his administration would prioritise capital projects that would be implemented under the state’s 2020 budget, saying the priotised capital projects would have positive impact on the lives of the people. He added that the state was poised to achieve a zero-based estimate in its budget preparation.
Meanwhile, barely a week to the end of their tenure, suspended 57 local government and local community development areas (LCDAs) chairmen in Ogun State were yesterday reinstated by the state House of Assembly.
Speaking through his Consultant on Budget and Planning, Mr. Olaolu Olabimtan, in Abeokuta yesterday at a workshop organised for Stakeholders in the Information, Culture, Religion and Public Order Sectors of the state at Oke-Mosan in Abeokuta, the governor stated that the state government has begun the implementation of Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) in line with international best practices.
Abiodun tasked ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the state on strategic policies and expenditure framework for the responsibility of even allocation of state’s resources.
He said his administration was committed to adopting a world class public financial management system, with the aim of developing a consistent framework that would improve the allocation of resources to strategic priorities within the major sectors in the state through the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) – a three-year fiscal plan.
Abiodun added that there was need to deviate from the practice of the past, where budgeting processes by MDAs ends at developing sectoral strategies for resource allocation, without linking such strategies to government policies, planning and budgeting.
Reinstating the local government chairmen at their yesterday’s plenary in Abeokuta, Ogun State lawmakers passed a resolution, shortly after an Assemblyman, Hon. Akeem Balogun, presented his committee’s report and moved the motion for its adoption, which was seconded by Hon. Bolanle Ajayi and supported by the Whole House through a voice vote.
After the Assembly’s various investigations, the House in its report said all the local governments were shortchanged in allocation from the Federation Account under the immediate past administration led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
“Following the receipt of various petitions on allegations of financial misappropriation and non-performance levelled against the Chairmen of the 57 Local Government Councils and Local Council Development Areas in the State, the 8th Legislature via House Resolution 018/2019 on Friday, 31st May, 2019 suspended all political office holders in all the Local Government Councils and Local Community Development Areas (LCDAs) in the State.
