Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, on Thursday presented a proposed N490.74 billion budget for the 2027 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly, with education, healthcare, infrastructure and job creation among the administration’s priorities.
Tagged the “Budget of Sustained Progress and Prosperity,” the appropriation bill was presented at the Assembly chamber in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Oyebanji said the proposal was designed to consolidate the achievements of his administration while laying the foundation for the state’s development over the next four years.
According to him, the budget is also aligned with Ekiti’s 30-year development plan covering 2021 to 2051, with the government seeking to sustain development and improve living standards across the state.
The proposed budget comprises N275.68 billion for recurrent expenditure and N215.06 billion for capital expenditure.
Oyebanji said the estimates would strengthen ongoing programmes under his administration’s Shared Prosperity Agenda while creating opportunities for economic expansion across Ekiti.
Six major pillars underpin the proposed spending plan: education and healthcare; good governance and transparency; arts, culture and tourism; youth and job creation; infrastructure and industrialisation; and agriculture and rural development.
The governor said the government would use the budget to deepen programmes already delivering results while expanding initiatives capable of supporting economic growth and improving the welfare of residents.
Receiving the bill, Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, commended the governor for presenting the proposal and said it reflected demands raised by residents during town hall engagements across the state’s three senatorial districts.
Aribasoye assured that lawmakers would subject the appropriation bill to comprehensive legislative scrutiny before its passage.
He said the review would examine the constitutionality of the proposals, revenue projections, stakeholder engagement and the equitable distribution of projects.
The Assembly would also assess the balance between recurrent and capital expenditure, according to the Speaker.
“As we receive this bill today, the assembly will approach its legislative review with patriotism, objectivity, and thoroughness,” he said.
Aribasoye said lawmakers would pay particular attention to equitable project distribution across Ekiti’s three senatorial districts and 16 local government areas, as well as the state’s 22 local council development areas.
He added that the Assembly would cooperate with the executive arm of government where necessary while demanding accountability where required.
According to him, rigorous legislative scrutiny of the budget should not be interpreted as opposition to the executive, but as part of the constitutional responsibilities of the legislature.
He described the process as “constitutional democracy at work.”
The proposed 2027 budget will now undergo legislative consideration before the Assembly determines whether to pass it into law.
