The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has taken a swipe at the content of the 2025 budget proposal of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration, describing the budget as questionable, unrealistic, and not in the interest of the people of the state.
This was contained in a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Kennedy Peretei, who said the budget christened “Budget of Recovery” should be tagged “Budget of Looting.”
The PDP specifically faulted the budget and berated the governor for starving critical sectors like education and health while the Ministry of Finance was overfunded, suggesting that the focus of the present administration is more on looting than the development of the state.
The party pointed out that the content of the fiscal estimate showed that the governor and his team lack a proper grasp of micro and macroeconomic fundamentals in budget and economic management, saying “not even budget experts could explain the meaning of security vote in a ministry.”
The statement read: “The Ondo State 2025 Appropriation Act, signed by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, can be appropriately described as a ‘Budget of Looting.’ Surprisingly, the Governor called it a ‘Budget of Recovery.’
“Of the N698b earmarked for spending in the year 2025, a whopping N11.5B was allocated to the Ministry of Finance as ‘Security Vote.’
“Not even budget experts could explain the meaning of a security vote in a ministry, different from the one the Governor receives monthly under the same sub-head.
“There are other outrageous allocations such as N200m to House of Assembly Members and N280m to the Speaker of the Ondo State Assembly, respectively, as phone expenses.”
Peretei said, “The PDP in Ondo State is not in any doubt that these dubious allocations are certainly not in the interest of the state as they are brazen, ‘the devil never cares’ moves to empty the state treasury.
“There is nowhere in the world where the people’s money are so stolen with official stamp in this reckless manner.
“Critical sectors like education and healthcare received only N77.024B and N46.016B respectively. Is there any doubt why Gov Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s government has achieved nothing since its inception over a year ago? The focus is more on looting than the development of the state.
“Our party calls on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to be thorough in their investigation of the stealing of public funds in Ondo State through the 2025 budget.
“No state can make progress if those entrusted with the people’s funds are not accountable but use underhanded tactics to steal.”
Similarly, an Akure-based legal practitioner, Femi Emmanuel Emodamori, has described the 2025 budget by the state government as unrealistic, opaque, and insincere.
Emodamori noted that the budget was riddled with unverified economic figures, querying the rationale behind the security votes allocated for the state finance commissioner.
The legal practitioner described the N200m allocated for the Speaker of the House of Assembly and security votes for the finance commissioner in the 2025 budget as totally scandalous, senseless, tactless, and heartbreaking.
He said, “The allegation that the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly claimed, inserted, and approved N200m as telephone call allowance for his office in the 2025 Ondo State Budget is, therefore, totally scandalous, senseless, tactless, and heartbreaking.
“We have 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, and 365 days in a year. So, we have 1,440 minutes in a day (60 x 24) and 525,600 minutes in a year (1440 x 365). Even with the recent approval for a 50% increase in call tariff from N11 to N16.5 per minute by the Federal Government, a non-stop telephone call for the entire 525,600 minutes in a year would cost only N8,672,400.
“Could this be part of a mutual arrangement by the Executive and Legislative arms of Government in Ondo State to plunder the state, particularly in view of the allegation that the state’s Commissioner for Finance got an approval for a strange, unprecedented, and illegal N11b as ‘Security Vote’ in the same budget, under the watch of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa? Are these allegations mere political propaganda and smear campaign?
“Unfortunately, unlike the normal practice in the days of late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, the current Ondo State 2025 Budget is not on the state government’s official website for Nigerians to crosscheck the facts and figures.
“However, if these allegations are true, then, I demand the immediate resignation of Mr Speaker and the State Commissioner for Finance. They need not wait to be investigated by the EFCC.
“If, on the other hand, the allegations are false or inaccurate, there is a need for the Speaker and state commissioner for Finance to immediately allay the fears and concerns of the people of Ondo and all well-meaning Nigerians by publishing the 2025 Budget of Ondo State as assented to by the Governor on the state government’s website.”
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