The Ondo State Government says it has awarded 318 projects worth over N28 billion in Ondo Central Senatorial District of the state between January and September 2018.

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state disclosed this on Tuesday at a town hall meeting organised by the state Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget.

The Ondo senatorial district comprises six local government area: Akure South, Akure North, Ifedore, Idanre, Ondo East and Ondo West.

Mr Akeredolu, who was represented by Wale Akinterinwa, the state Commissioner for Finance, said the projects spanned the six council areas.

He said over N2 billion was earmarked for renovation and construction projects in 175 schools and would be executed through the state Universal Basic Education Board.

According to the governor, the least projects in the district would gulp N5 million and were being executed by state Agric-Business Empowerment Agency.

The governor said the stakeholders’ meeting became necessary to harvest inputs of the people with a view to including them in the state’s 2019 budgetary process.

“This will translate developmental plans of government into actionable programmes and strategies and increased democratisation, citizen participation and the desire to respond to developmental challenges,” he said.

The town hall meeting, Mr Akeredolu said, was a new dimension in the state budgetary process and would give feedback on what the government had done and was doing to ensure a better life and future for the people of the state.

He enjoined residents of the state to continue to contribute their quota in order to enable development of the state.


Earlier, Bunmi Alade, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, said the forum would assist government to prioritise people’s needs and desires in the preparation of the 2019 budget.

Mr Alade stressed that everybody must have a say in governance because budget was an instrument of development.

Commending the move by the state government, Abiodun Adefehinti, the Alara of Ilara-mokin, said it was good to get citizens involved in budgetary provisions so as to guide against waste of resources.

He urged the state government to always carry traditional rulers along in policy formulations and programmes in order to enable them to mobilise their subjects in supporting the government.