The state commissioner for finance, mr Dapo Okubadejo has said that Ogun State has been recording steady growth in the last four years.
This growth, he added, has ensured an appreciable increase in the state’s budget size and performances.
He also added the model for industries, logistics, knowledge, and innovation as a result of the economic policies put in place by Governor Dapo Abiodun since 2019.
The state Commissioner for Finance and the Chief Economic Adviser to the governor, Mr Dapo Okubadejo, stated this at the official breakdown of the 2024 Appropriation Budget.
The ₦703 billion 2024 budget christened, “Budget of Sustained Growth and Development” already signed into law by Governor Dapo Abiodun, earmarked ₦415.6 billion for Capital Expenditure, while ₦287.3 billion was for Recurrent Expenditure.
According to Okubadejo, Abiodun’s administration had been working in line with the Medium Term Economic Framework (MTEF), developed in 2020.
He said the government has continued to create an enabling environment that made the Gateway State the most preferred investment destination in the country.
These policies, he said, have ensured that the state was declared the Most Improved and the Most Viable Economy in 2023.
He said this year’s budget of ₦703 billion was a tremendous increase when compared to the 2023 figure of ₦472 billion, which performance was 75 per cent by December 2023.
Okubadejo said the state’s target was to be economically and financially independent by de-emphasising reliance on monthly allocation from the federation account.
About ₦240 billion is expected to be raked in as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2024, the Commissioner added.
At the briefing, Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr Olaolu Olabimtan presented provisions in the budget, while Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, Commissioner for Transport, Mr Gbenga Dairo, Commissioner for Works, Mr Ade Akinsanya, Commissioner for Agriculture, Bolu Owotomo and Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, gave summary of their respective ministries as contained in the budget.
Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr Ade Akinsanya, said the government would resuscitate some of the abandoned road projects while ongoing ones would be completed.
Akinsanya commended Abiodun for the work done on the Gateway International Agro Cargo Airport, Iperu-Remo, which recorded its first commercial operations, with two chartered flights that brought the governor and other state officials from Abuja after the judgment of the Supreme Court, that affirmed his 2023 election.
In his welcome address, the Special Adviser to the governor on Media, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, highlighted the media parley as a crucial platform for journalists to engage with key decision-makers with the objective of enhancing public understanding of the state’s achievements and future plans, aligning with Governor Abiodun’s ISEYA mantra.
He underscored the administration’s commitment to various economic indices, citing achievements in ease of doing business, revenue generation, national growth, and industrialization.
Akinmade noted that the media interaction was poised to catalyze dialogue, transparency, and public awareness, contributing to the overarching goal of sustained growth and development in Ogun State.
