In a significant budget presentation, Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa on November 17, 2025, laid a N492 billion proposal before the Ondo State House of Assembly for the 2026 fiscal year. He explained that N210 billion was allocated to recurrent expenditure, while N281 billion was dedicated to capital projects.
The budget presentation, tagged “Budget of Economic Consolidation,” surpasses the revised 2025 figure, which stands at over N489 billion. The Leader of the House, Olatunji Oshati, initiated the motion for the governor to present the proposal, seconded by Olatunji Fabiyi of Odigbo 1-APC.
During the budget presentation, Aiyedatiwa noted that the 2025 budget had been revised due to unmet expectations from external grants. He said prudent management over the past year enabled tangible progress across various sectors despite limited resources.
Breaking down the 2026 allocation, the governor said infrastructural development takes the lead at 26.80 percent, followed by public finance at 18.2 percent. He added that trade and industry, information, environment and sewage management hold the lowest allocation at 1 percent.
Aiyedatiwa emphasized that the budget presentation reflects a shift from recovery efforts to sustained economic consolidation, aiming to transform the progress recorded in 2025 into long-term prosperity and inclusive development.
He acknowledged that global economic slowdown poses risks, especially with the state’s revenue base depending heavily on Federation Account Allocations, VAT, personal income tax and other shared revenue streams. The budget presentation outlines priorities around deepening reforms, accelerating development, infrastructure expansion and boosting internally generated revenue.
The governor added that the proposal also targets food security, agricultural transformation, human capital development and skills enhancement. He urged lawmakers to give careful and timely consideration to the proposal.
Speaker Olamide Oladiji praised the governor for the timely budget presentation, saying it would enable lawmakers to thoroughly examine the document. He commended Aiyedatiwa’s leadership, noting his review of legislative workers’ salaries and his intervention during a recent disagreement among the 26 lawmakers.
Oladiji assured that the budget would undergo a rigorous review to align with the needs of residents across the state.
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