Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State on Thursday presented a N188.9 billion budget proposal for the 2014 fiscal year before the state House of Assembly, expressing his commitment to the eradication of poverty through people-oriented programmes.  

Also, a member of the House of Assembly representing Egbeda State Constituency, Honourable Ibrahim Bolomope openly announced his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on the floor of the House.

"Today, I have decided to pitch my tent with a party of the progressives, that is, the All Progressives Congress, Bolomope, an erstwhile Accord Party member told a jubilant crowd that had thronged the Assembly to witness the budget presentation.  

The governor, while making the presentation of the budget tagged "Budget of Consolidation on the floor of the Assembly, said that the proposal was guided by his administration's desire to consolidate on its achievements, in order to restore, transform and reposition the state to its former pacesetter status very soon.

According to him, the 2014 fiscal year also aims at solidifying the on-going process of physical and social infrastructural development in the state.

While the sum of N96.041 billion, representing 50.9 per cent, is allocated for recurrent expenditure, the capital expenditure will gulp N92.795 billion, representing 49.1 per cent of the budget.

The sectoral allocation consists of economy N36,192,500,000 representing 39.01 per cent; Social Services N25,680,000,000, 27.67 per cent; Urban Regional Development N17,741,600,000, 19.12 per cent and General Administration N13,180,916,000.

Specifically, the governor said that the budget would emphasize on sectors like education, health, water and infrastructure, stressing that the aggregate percentage of 82.25 per cent of the total budget allocated to the economic, physical infrastructure and social services sector underscored his administration’s determination to pursue a people-centred, empowerment-focused agenda.

"We consider this strategy as the best antidote to the problem of poverty among our people,” he said.

Ajimobi said that the 2014 budgetary proposals had been anchored on some policy thrusts and philosophy, stressing that priority would be on projects with micro-specific impact.

He also said that value-chain driven agriculture and agribusiness would be a major plank for realizing wealth creation and poverty reduction objectives, adding that the systems approach to operations would guide the working relationship among MDAs, with a view to eliminating overlapping functions and bureaucratic delay.

Aside mobilizing resources and support through the Private Public Partnership (PPP) framework for the execution of eligible projects, he said his government was also finalizing its strategic alliances with development partners towards enhanced capital receipts for the state.

Ajimobi said that his administration had been able to make significant improvements in good governance and strategic alliances with both local and international development communities, peace and security, health services, wealth creation and economic empowerment, environment and habitat as well as infrastructure and staff development and welfare.

On education, he said that three model secondary schools and four model primary schools would be constructed across all the geo-political zones of the state in 2014 and that the inspectorate and other monitoring and evaluation initiatives would be intensified towards enhanced quality of education and performance of students in every examination, both internal and external.

The governor said that his government would continue to explore all possible avenues to reduce dependency on allocation from the Federal Government.

Part of this move, he stated, would be the evolution of new strategies to improve significantly on internally generated revenue and private capital flows into the state, pointing out that he might further seek for necessary legislative muscle towards intensified revenue drive and enhanced capital receipts.

Ajimobi commended the harmonious working relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government, a feat which he said had helped immensely in the successes so far recorded by his administration.

In her remarks, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu commended the governor for the security reigning in every nook and cranny of the state and for the various developmental projects springing up across the state.

She also acknowledged the fact that the Ajimobi administration had put in place an attractive environment for investors, both locally and internationally, adding that greater investment opportunities had been created.

"Senator Ajimobi stands out as a leader with vision, backed up by the drive and energy to bring to bring the vision into reality. He is putting in place a leadership style that will take Oyo State back into its enviable pacesetter status in this nation,” the Speaker remarked.