By Josephine Oguntoyinbo

Ondo State House of Assembly has said that for the State government to be able to reposition the state’s economy, there is the need for all heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to work assiduously towards achieving the set target .

The Speaker, Mr Olamide Oladiji, stated this while declaring the year 2025 budget defence open at the Assembly’s mini chamber in Akure.

Heads of MDAs, who converged on the Assembly to defend their spending proposals for year 2025, were; Owena Press Limited, Publisher of The Hope titles, Ministry of Information, Office of the Head of Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Energy and Mineral resources and Adekunle Ajasin University , Akungba -Akoko among others.

The proposed budget presented by the State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa was over N655 billion, with over N248 billion allocated for recurrent expenditure, while over N406 billion is for capital expenditure.

The Speaker noted that the exercise is a normal practice to shed light on the grey areas, charging the MDAs to cooperate with the committee for a robust budget.

The Speaker explained that after receiving the fiscal document from the governor, the house assured that the spending proposal will be passed on or before December 23 after a careful scrutiny.

He charged the Committee to look at the budget performance of MDAs critically as part of their legislative duties.

Oladiji commended the governor for his passion in driving development in the state which is visible to all.

Earlier, the Chairman House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, who said revenue from crude oil can no longer sustain the economy, called on stakeholders to assist the State Government in diversifying the economy from sole reliance on federal account allocation and exploit the rich natural resources for development.

Mr. Ogunmolasuyi added that at the same time, it would widen the state’s tax base as well as blocking all loop-holes in the state’s internally generated revenue.

He expressed delight for the budget defence exercise for the next fiscal year , especially at this present period, adding that the year 2024 budget performed averagely in terms of implementation due to the general issues in the country.

According to him, the public hearing is in line with the provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which empowers the Legislature to appropriate and monitor fiscal estimates of the State in the spirit of transparency and accountability.

He said that the 2025 Budget, christened “Budget of Recovery” is designed to reflect the much anticipated hope for a better future for the State and to also complement the existing projects embark on by the present administration.