Ajimobi presents N141.8bn budget

• I’ll not impose new taxes, he says
Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has
presented a N141,777,770 budget
proposal for the 2015 fiscal year before
the state House of Assembly, pledging
that no new taxes will be imposed on the
people, notwithstanding the poor financial
situation of the state occasioned by sharp
drop in oil revenue.
Making the presentation of the budget
tagged: “Budget of Repositioning’’ on the
floor of the Assembly yesterday, the
governor said the proposal was guided by
his administration’s desire to consolidate
on its achievements and reposition the
state.
He said the 2014 fiscal year also aimed at
solidifying the ongoing physical and
social infrastructure development,
sustaining the peace and security which
had become a brand for which the state
was noted as well as ensuring the
continuation of the existing cordial
relationship among all segments of the
state.
Rather than impose new taxes on the
people of the state, the governor said a
strategy had been put in place to enhance
the level of cost effectiveness of revenue
collection, especially with respect to
existing fees and levies.
Besides, Governor Ajimobi said priority
would be given to expanding the state’s
taxable base through accelerated gainful
employment generation by private
investors in the state.
While the sum of N86.72 billion,
representing 61.17 per cent, is allocated
for recurrent expenditure, the capital
expenditure will gulp N55.05 billion,
representing 38.83 per cent of the budget.
The sectoral allocation consists of
economy N29.798 billion representing
21.01 per cent; Social Services N58,492
billion representing 41.26 per cent; Urban
Regional Development N8.93 billion, 6.3
per cent and General Administration
N44,559, representing 31.43 per cent.
He said the aggregate percentage of
68.57 per cent of the total budget
allocated to the economic, social welfare
and physical infrastructure activities
underscored his administration’s
determination to pursue a people-centred
and empowerment-focused agenda.
“We consider this strategy as the best
antidote to the problem of poverty among
our people,’’ he said.
With respect to education, Governor
Ajimobi said efforts would be made in
2015 to complete all ongoing projects
such as construction and furnishing of
classrooms as well as the construction of
all the model schools across all the geo-
political zones of the state.
Stating that inspection of schools would
be intensified to enhanced quality of
education and improved students’
performance in internal and external
examinations, he said a similar principle
would be applied to key people-centred
sectors such as health, water and
sanitation, environment and, peace and
security.
Governor Ajimobi said the 2015
budgetary proposals had been anchored
on some policy thrusts and philosophy,
stressing that priority would be on
projects with micro-specific impact.
He also said value-chain driven
agriculture and agribusiness would be a
major plank for realizing wealth creation
and poverty reduction objectives, adding
that the systems approach to operations
would guide the working relationship
among MDAs, with a view to eliminating
overlapping functions and bureaucratic
delay.
Aside mobilizing resources and support
through the Private Public Partnership
(PPP) framework for the execution of
eligible projects, he said his government
was also finalizing its strategic alliances
with development partners towards
enhanced capital receipts for the state.
Governor Ajimobi said his administration
had been able to make significant
improvements in good governance and
strategic alliances with both local and
international development communities,
peace and security, health services,
wealth creation and economic
empowerment, environment and habitat
as well as infrastructure and staff
development and welfare.
The governor acknowledged the several
challenges confronting his administration
during the outgoing fiscal year, prominent
among which was the general but steady
decline in funds allocation to the state
from the Federal Government for almost
half of the year, a development which, he
said, had impacted negatively on the level
of budget performance.