9th September, 2019
The Ondo State Government has reiterated its readiness to harness her abundant human and natural resources with a view to transforming the state to one of the most developed states in the country.
The Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Emmanuel Igbasan, gave this hint at the second edition of the ministry’s consultative meeting with different interest groups on Monday in Akure, noting that it will be possible through the strategic implementation of projects and programmes in the state.
He said that it was in continuation of the steps by Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu-led administration in the state that necessitated a strategic consultative engagement process with relevant organisations for the preparation of the state budget.
Igbasan said the Ondo State budget now assumes a bottom-up approach, whereby the government executes what the people really need and not what the government assume they need.
He added that the consultative meetings with different groups and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) on the 2020 budget and 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) were part of the government’s inclusive governance.
He mentioned that the interaction would enable the government to capture areas of top priority of the groups, while it would also help foster better relationships with the people, and create awareness of what the government was doing to enable them to take ownership of the process.
The groups present at the meeting included; Persons with Disabilities (PWD), Coalition of Civil Societies Organisations (CSOs), Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs). The representatives of each group lauded Gov. Akeredolu for the various infrastructure development across the state and called for the economic empowerment of their members.
The commissioner noted that the budget was not just arbitrary figures, but represents the translation of government’s promises and manifestos into concrete projects and programmes.
He reiterated the unalloyed commitment of the Akeredolu-led administration to always make the well being of people the central focus of government activities. He noted that most of the issues raised at the last year’s edition of consultative meeting with Persons with Disabilities had all been attended to by the government.
The commissioner stated that the governor had appointed a Special Adviser on persons with disabilities while a board for the group had also been constituted.
He, therefore, called on various organisations and groups in the society to come up with their priorities and contributions to achieve an all-inclusive budget that would develop the state and improve the living standard of the people.