₦airaland Forum

This morning, I presented the Oyo State 2026 Appropriation Bill tagged Budget of Economic Expansion to the House of Assembly. Our goal for this budget is to build on the gains from the 2025 Budget of Economic Stabilisation to further grow the Oyo State economy. The total budget sum is ₦891,985,074,480.79.

With this budget we are closer than ever to the ideal 60/40 ratio between capital and recurrent expenditure. Capital Expenditure of ₦502,846,477,812.85 representing 56.37% of the total budget while Recurrent Expenditure of ₦389,138,596,667.94 is 43.63%. Read my full speech

God1000:
This must be the biggest budget in the history of Oyo state, I hope it will be fully implemented, to be honest this governor has transformed Oyo state so much

NairaX:
₦891 billion budget sounds impressive on paper, but Oyo people aren’t asking for beautiful percentages — they’re asking why all these “economic expansion” budgets never seem to expand their actual lives.

Every year it’s the same cycle: glowing speeches, big numbers, perfect ratios… then 12 months later we don’t see the same energy in basic infrastructure, schools, hospitals, or local government development.

Until governors start giving clear before-and-after results instead of colourful budget breakdowns, these announcements will keep looking like political PR, not real governance.

God1000:
This must be the biggest budget in the history of Oyo state, I hope it will be fully implemented, to be honest this governor has transformed Oyo state so much

SmartPolician:
Those figures are mere wishful thinking. It doesn't exist anywhere. In a year, the state may have 200 billion (from allocation and IGR) and he will borrow 200 billion. Then, he will use 300 billion to pay salaries, service loans and other recurrent expenditures, loot 30 billion and spend the rest on infrastructure.

God1000:
This must be the biggest budget in the history of Oyo state, I hope it will be fully implemented, to be honest this governor has transformed Oyo state so much

NairaX:
Exactly. These “mega budgets” are beginning to feel like monopoly money — numbers thrown around with zero connection to what citizens actually experience.

If the state only realistically touches a fraction of this ₦891B, then what we’re looking at isn’t a development plan… it’s financial theatre. And the worst part? Nobody ever explains the gap between projected spending and real outcomes.

You can’t keep announcing billionaire budgets when schools are still leaking, hospitals look like relics, and LGs can’t fix one kilometre of road without drama.

Until governors publish independent audits, real completion reports, and verifiable community-level results, these budgets will keep sounding like fiction with a press release.

SmartPolician:
Generally, black people are not innovative. This is my own obsession. Nobody wants to introduce anything new to our lives or human experience, including governance. Politicians are selected from among us.

@ the emboldened: To the best of my knowledge, only Lagos State govt does that in the country. People may accuse Lagos State govt of corruption, but nobody can deny the fact that the state produces some of the best public administrators in the country.

MT:
How did he transform Oyo State,

By selling all the lands in Oyo state?

NairaX:
I get your point, but I’d push back a bit on the “black people are not innovative” line — that’s a broad generalization and ignores context. The real issue isn’t a lack of capability; it’s the incentives, accountability, and systems in place.

Lagos works because they’ve institutionalized planning, monitoring, and follow-through. Other states could do the same if governance wasn’t constantly hijacked by politics and short-term gain. It’s not about race or creativity; it’s about structures and leadership.

God1000:
https://seyimakinde.com/presentation-of-the-oyo-state-2026-appropriation-bill/

SmartPolician:
I personally think that what contributed to the sophistication of Lagos administration is the constant demand for improvement by some of the most enlightened citizens, activists and civil society groups in the state.

No other state in Nigeria has more exposed, educated and rich people like Lagos, coupled with expatriates and foreign government personnel. I think the state is trying to satisfy its quality residents who keep them on their toes, unlike other states.

Coming to innovation, you need to understand that continuous improvement is a way of life (culture). Continuous improvement isn't our way of life because we tend to glorify things of the past instead of improve them. For instance, you would hear people say that quality of education when they had Standard 6 was better.

So, most of the things we use today is just us reacting to outside world so we can be in sync. We don't create; we just acquire finished products. We are not wired to invest in research and development. Your final year project may be in one dumpsite now. Abeg leave this country. We are not serious.

God1000:
This must be the biggest budget in the history of Oyo state, I hope it will be fully implemented, to be honest this governor has transformed Oyo state so much

NairaX:
I won’t deny that Lagos benefits massively from its population mix — high concentration of professionals, NGOs, media, diplomats, and private-sector pressure definitely forces higher standards. That environment naturally pushes government to level up.

But I still don’t think it’s a “we aren’t wired for improvement” issue. Culture doesn’t fall from the sky — it’s shaped by incentives. When states have weak institutions, no pressure from citizens, and leaders who face zero consequences for stagnation, the culture will obviously reflect that.

If you take the same Nigerians doing “Standard 6 nostalgia” and put them in a system that rewards innovation, transparency, and competition, they adapt fast. We see this in tech, banking, arts, even diaspora communities. So the potential exists — the environment is the problem.

We don’t lack creativity or capacity; we lack governments that make innovation worth it. Until that changes, people will keep giving up and leaving, not because they’re not capable, but because the system doesn’t reward forward thinking.

mercysamuelson:
The state governors are part of the major problems facing Nigeria. If we are going to hold the President accountable, we must apply that same pressure on the governors as well. They receive massive allocations from the federal government, yet we still expect the federal government to do the work they are responsible for. The same level of accountability should also be demanded from local government chairmen and every other arm of government.