News Investigators/ Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has restated his administration’s commitment to delivering long-lasting projects that will stand the test of time.
Mr Makinde gave the assurance at the opening of the Stakeholders’ Consultative Meeting on the 2027 Budget on Friday in Ibadan.
According to him, all road infrastructure projects executed since the assumption of office in 2019 are still in good condition.
He said the state only needs to maintain the institutions and infrastructure.
He explained that his administration understood early that building infrastructure was the foundation for economic growth, noting that such investments had significantly increased the value of assets across the state.
The governor said he would soon deliver the ‘State Address’ to the Oyo State House of Assembly.
He explained that all inputs harvested from the consultative meetings would be reflected in the budget proposal to be presented.
He, however, said his administration might not implement up to half of the 2027 budget due to the expiration of his tenure on May 29, 2027.
Mr Makinde also assured residents that governance would not suffer despite his political engagements across the country.
According to him, his administration will not neglect its constitutional duties to the people of Oyo State.
In his goodwill message, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Debo Ogundoyin, assured that the House would collaborate with the executive to ensure budget effectiveness.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Musibau Babatunde, said the government had institutionalised a budgetary process that ensures the state budget reflects the actual needs and realities of the people.
According to Prof. Babatunde, every Ministry, Department and Agency (MDA) is mandated to defend how it has incorporated public inputs gathered during the budget consultative fora into its proposal.
The SSG, who was the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning before his current appointment, said the state maintains a robust feedback mechanism with stakeholders.
He said the state also obtains quarterly budget tracking reports uploaded for public scrutiny and a mid-year review.
He noted that budget performance had never fallen below 70 per cent since the reform, compared to the 27 to 30 per cent performance met on assumption of office.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Ayobami Ojo, encouraged participants to offer evidence-based recommendations.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Ibadan North Local Government, Mr Seun Onifade, who spoke on behalf of other local government chairmen, commended Makinde for sustaining an inclusive and people-oriented governance model.
Onifade expressed confidence that the contributions gathered at the forum would guide the formulation of a budget that truly responds to the aspirations of the people.
NAN