2025 Budget: Ekiti governor presents N375.7 billion to assembly

Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, on Tuesday, presented before the State House of Assembly a sum of N375.7 billion as the proposed budget estimates for the 2025 fiscal year.

Mr Oyebanji, while presenting the 2025 budget, tagged: “Budget of Sustainable Impact” at the assembly complex, explained that the appropriation bill, when passed, would help his administration to consolidate his efforts in infrastructure development and improve the state’s economy in line with the shared prosperity agenda.

The governor said he would focus on ensuring food security, wealth creation and welfare of the people, to enhance the productivity of the people and the economy.

He added that the government has made adequate provisions for the implementation of the N70,000 new minimum wage for workers and pensioners, saying that negotiations between the government and the organised labour would soon be completed.

Breakdown

Highlighting the breakdown of the budget, which is the highest in the history of the state in recent years, said the recurrent expenditure is proposed to be N192.3 billion representing 51 per cent, while 49 per cent of the appropriation bill is allocated to the capital expenditure with N183.4 billion.

The governor said: “The proposed 2025 budget has been carefully prepared to consolidate on on-going capital projects and address the temporary economic hardship, occasioned by the petrol subsidy removal and unification of exchange rate by improving our agricultural sector through provision of incentives, seedling, and farm machineries to enhance food security in the state.

“In addition, the informal sector will be accorded priority attention. The need to provide an enabling business environment for existing and emerging businesses cannot be overemphasised.

“Therefore, we, as a government, shall provide various empowerment programmes for Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMSEs) in the state. In the same vein, we shall provide grants and facilitate credit facilities to business owners. All registered cooperatives in the state will be provided with the needed support to enhance their activities.”

On how the budget will be financed, Mr Oyebanji said: “As a government we are optimistic that the Independent Revenue of the State will improve in 2025 with the concerted efforts of the Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other revenue generating agencies.

“In the same vein, in view of our cordial relationship with the Federal Government, we are hopeful of the continued support of the Federal Government to Ekiti State. We also hope to strengthen our collaboration with our development partners to assist with implementation of our various programmes and initiatives.”

The governor appealed to the lawmakers to consider the expeditious passage of the appropriation for the state to continue the January to December budget cycle.

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Speaker reacts

In his response, the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, commended the governor for “his giant strides across major sectors of the state economy in the last two years.”

Mr Aribasoye assured the governor that the lawmakers would shelve their scheduled break to deliberate and scrutinise the budget proposal towards passing it in record time towards sustaining the developmental projects in the state.

Mr Aribasoye urged the heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to make themselves available to defend their respective proposals, saying the legislature would remain committed to upholding the principle of accountability in governance.