Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has described the 2025 capital budget as “too unrealistic” and announced plans to cut down spending projections in the 2026 fiscal year.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, represented by the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. ‘Laolu Akindolire, said this during a consultative meeting on the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and budget preparation in Akure.
“When we looked at the 2025 capital budget, it’s just too unrealistic. A capital budget of N433 billion—how do you fund it?” Aiyedatiwa asked, noting that the over-ambitious plan led to poor performance.
The 2025 budget had a grand total of N698.6 billion, out of which capital expenditure stood at N433 billion (63.07%), while recurrent expenditure was N222 billion. Much of the funding was tied to foreign development partners, but according to the commissioner, most of the funds never materialized.
He stressed that the state would henceforth rely only on realistic funding sources.
“It’s not the size of a budget that matters, it’s the ability to fund it and perform to meet the aspirations of our people,” he said. “For 2026, we want a budget that can achieve at least 70 to 80 percent performance.”
The governor added that the state would prioritize agriculture, human capital development, and security.
He also disclosed plans to redesign the secondary school curriculum to equip students with vocational skills for self-reliance.
Stakeholders, including youth groups, market leaders, civil society organizations, and persons with disabilities, attended the session and made contributions that government promised to consider before presenting the final budget.
