Education, Roads, Health Get Lion Share in Ondo ₦492.8B Budget for 2026

Ondo State Governor, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, on Monday, November 17, 2025, presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the State House of Assembly, unveiling a total proposal of ₦492,795,667,939 for the fiscal year.

Presenting the budget to lawmakers at the Assembly complex, the Governor said the new budget, tagged “Budget of Economic Consolidation,” was designed to deepen reforms, stabilise gains recorded in 2025, and drive sustained socio-economic growth across critical sectors.

He expressed gratitude to the people of the State for their continued confidence in his administration and commended the legislature for what he described as unwavering cooperation, which had enabled governance stability despite harsh national economic conditions.

Governor Aiyedatiwa disclosed that the government was compelled to revise the 2025 budget downward from ₦698.659bn to ₦489.998bn, following the failure of expected donor inflows and other sources of revenue to materialise.

He said current data showed that only half of the anticipated funds would arrive, posing “serious risk to water sector performance and the jobs and economic benefits” earlier projected.

According to him, the downward review was necessary to eliminate unrealistic projections and reallocate State resources more fairly.

Despite the fiscal shortfalls, the Governor insisted that “remarkable progress” had been achieved within the last year through prudent management of available funds.

He listed gains in the education sector, including the recruitment of 2,100 teachers, payment of ₦633.9m WAEC fees for 23,048 students, full funding of NABTEB for public-school candidates, and scholarship/bursary support totalling ₦350m for 11,358 tertiary students. Under OSOPADEC, another ₦286.7m was also disbursed to 4,837 students.

The Governor highlighted extensive infrastructure upgrades: 134 primary schools built or renovated at ₦6.738bn and 60 secondary schools rehabilitated with ₦3.108bn. Technical colleges across five LGAs were also modernised, while OAUSTECH expanded from three faculties to seven schools and advanced plans for a new School of Maritime Studies in partnership with the Caribbean Maritime University of Jamaica.

“In the health sector, the Orange Health Insurance Scheme was expanded, while over 40,000 women and children continued to benefit from the Abiyamo Maternal and Child Health Scheme”, he said.

The Governor noted that 102 primary healthcare centres had been upgraded under the World Bank-supported IMPACT Project at a cost exceeding ₦7.2bn.

“Road and infrastructure development formed a major highlight of the 2025 performance review”, the Governor added.

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He said substantial progress had been recorded on the dualisation of the Oke-Aro–Idanre Road, Akungba–Ikare Road, and the 27.5km Okitipupa–Igbokoda Road, while the Onyearugbulem–Shagari–Irese Flyover neared completion. About 60km of roads were currently under construction or rehabilitation, alongside 386km of rural roads upgraded under RAAMP and ongoing works in Okitipupa, Ilaje, Irele and Ese-Odo LGAs were valued at ₦96.805bn.

“Water projects were also executed, including rehabilitated schemes in Oke-Igbo, Oba Akoko, Idoani, Okitipupa, Ilutitun and Araromi-Obu, while the Owena Multipurpose Dam and the Owena–Ondo Water Supply Scheme continued to advance, expected to serve six LGAs in the Central District.

“The agriculture sector recorded expanded land acquisition of 26,000 hectares, rural market upgrades in three LGAs, construction of a modern Farmers’ Market in Akure, distribution of over two million cocoa seedlings, and livestock support under the L-PRES programme.

“On power development, the State had revived the long-abandoned Omotosho 2×15MW power plant, operationalised solar mini-grids in 30 communities and issued new generation and distribution licences through the State Electricity Bureau. The Bureau also licensed mini-grid developers to deepen rural energy access.

“Environmental management efforts included dredging waterways in high-risk flood zones, distribution of relief materials to storm victims, stocking of the SEMA warehouse for 2025 emergencies, and sustained urban sanitation across major towns.

“The OD-CARES programme supported 10,550 households with bimonthly ₦20,000 cash transfers, provided labour-intensive jobs for 19,985 residents, and issued grants of ₦300,000 to ₦600,000 to 1,863 small businesses.

“On social welfare, the government released ₦2.396bn to settle gratuities for retirees of 2016 and 2017, in addition to earlier payments of ₦1.4bn for local government and primary school retirees. The School Shuttle Scheme, abandoned since 2020, was restored with a ₦701m allocation for land and waterways transport in Akure, Ilaje and Ese-Odo.”

He added that over 500 youths had been trained in ICT skills, MDAs now enjoy improved internet connectivity, and a new Tech Hub in OAUSTECH would be commissioned before year-end. The State also hosted a two-day AI Adoption Summit to develop a roadmap for responsible technology integration.

Presenting the 2026 Budget framework, Governor Aiyedatiwa said the proposal draws heavily from macro-economic assumptions contained in the NGF-adopted MTEF and Fiscal Strategy Paper. He noted that the new VAT distribution formula—50% equal share, 20% population and 30% consumption—could negatively affect Ondo State, given its civil-service and agrarian structure. Revenue pressures were further expected from tax exemptions granted to small businesses and low-income earners.

The Governor outlined eight policy thrusts for the 2026 fiscal year, covering food security, human capital development, infrastructure expansion, IGR reform, community development, social protection, economic diversification and prudent fiscal management.

The proposed budget carries a recurrent-to-capital ratio of 42.78% to 57.22%, which the Governor described as a clear statement of intent to complete ongoing infrastructure projects and avoid abandoned works across the State.

He thanked the Speaker and lawmakers for their contributions to governance and expressed appreciation to security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youths, unions, professionals, development partners, NGOs, civil society groups, the press and other stakeholders for their support throughout the year.

Governor Aiyedatiwa urged the Assembly to grant the 2026 Appropriation Bill the same careful consideration as previous budgets, saying his administration remained committed to diligent and timely implementation for the benefit of citizens.

He expressed confidence that 2026 would usher in progress, prosperity and strengthened well-being for the people of Ondo State.

In his speech, the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, commended the presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill, saying the timely submission of the budget proposal had given the House adequate time for comprehensive evaluation.

The Speaker described the Governor’s leadership style as exemplary and acknowledged the administration’s continuous support for the Assembly.

He stated that the Governor’s commitment to peace, stability and progress had ensured an enabling environment for seamless cooperation between both arms of government.

Oladiji also applauded the government for approving the Consolidated Legislative Salary Scheme Fund for the first time in 2026, assuring that the initiative would significantly enhance the productivity and dedication of Assembly staff.

Oladiji reaffirmed the House’s readiness to collaborate with the Governor and his team in advancing the progress of the state.