THE NATION – It was meant to be a
symbolic and colourful ceremony. But
Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s
budget presentation was anything but
colourful.
Of the 26 members of the Assembly, 17
shunned the presentation.
Only nine lawmakers were present; 12
stayed around the premises of the
Assembly Complex as Mimiko presented
the N162 billion 2014 budget.
The Assembly is made up of 25 Labour
Party (LP) members and one Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) member.
It was gathered that the lawmakers who
shunned the presentation were aggrieved
over “non-consultation with the
Assembly on the budget presentation
and poor implementation of the 2013
budget”.
The presentation was presided over by
the Deputy Speaker, Dare Emiola.
The Speaker, Samuel Adesina, is ill.
The Majority Leader, Ifedayo
Akinsoyinu, was present.
Other principal officers, including the
Chairman, House Committee on Finance
and Appropriation, Fidelis
Akinwolemiwa (Ondo East); his Vice,
Akindele Adeniyi (Akure South);
Chairman, House Committee on
Information, Oyebo Aladetan (Ilaje I)
and Minority Leader Akpoebi Lubi, were
absent.
Though Akinsoyinu blamed the poor
turnout on official assignments, those
absent said they were not on any official
assignment.
They said they shunned the sitting
because they were not properly
informed of the presentation.
One of them, who pleaded for
anonymity, said: “We are not happy
with the level of development in Ondo
State. Projects have been moving at a
snail’s pace and the governor has failed
this year.”
Speaking with The Nation over the
phone, Lubi said the lawmakers were
not happy with the “poor”
implementation of the 2013 budget,
which “recorded 30 per cent
performance”.
He said on December 24, the lawmakers
rejected a re-ordering budget of N1.5
billion sent to the House by the
governor.
Describing the budget presentation as
“illegal”, Lubi said the governor needs
two-third majority of the House before
he can present a budget.
A chieftain of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), Mr. Ade Adetimehin,
praised the lawmakers for “standing
against illegality” and for being alive to
their duties.
Adetimehin alleged that Mimiko had
been mismanaging the state’s funds and
urged the lawmakers to impeach him.
Former Secretary of the defunct Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Mr.
Adegboyega Adedipe challenged Mimiko
to tell the people what he achieved with
last year’s budget, adding: “We are not
surprised that the implementation of the
2013 budget was scored 30 per cent by
the lawmakers because we are aware
that Mimiko had been mismanaging the
state’s funds.
“People in the riverside areas are crying
because they have not enjoyed the
dividends of democracy, even though
President Goodluck Jonathan and his
wife, Patience, are their kinsmen. It is
well known that Mimiko is very close to
Jonathan, so we urge the President to
visit the riverside areas of Ondo State
and see how the people are suffering.”
In the proposed budget, tagged: “Caring
Heart Phase Five”, N69.681 billion was
earmarked for recurrent expenditure
and N92.319 billion for capital
expenditure.
Mimiko said the budget would be
financed with the N43 billion Statutory
Allocation; N15 billion Internally-
Generated Revenue (IGR); N10 billion
Value Added Tax (VAT); N7 billion roll
over fund; N20 billion Mineral
Derivation Fund and N5 billion from the
Subsidy Re-investment Programme
(SURE-P), among others.

I tell you Mimiko is a sinking man... Why should they attend when the implementation of the last budget is nothing to write home about.... Been constructing one same road for like 5years... The Government has been unable to pay corpers allowance and Salaries of their workers... I weep for the people of Ondo

An advantage for APC to make in-route into that state.

Yeye dey smell!

Dhelake: I tell you Mimiko is a sinking man... Why should they attend when the implementation of the last budget is nothing to write home about.... Been constructing one same road for like 5years... The Government has been unable to pay corpers allowance and Salaries of their workers... I weep for the people of Ondo

Arakale road I guess? Lol

The Nation and APC belongs to Tinubu. So it is not wise to believe anything The Nation says about any opposition party.